Recently, I was thinking back on my wedding day.

Okay, so that’s almost a daily occurrence, but still.

Before my wedding, many women told me, “You’re going to be so nervous on your wedding day, but just remember what made you choose him. You’re not making a mistake. Those nerves are excitement, not anxiety.” I thought this was such an odd thing to say. The last thing I wanted to feel on my wedding day was nervous!

I recently wrote about how I didn’t always want to get married. Marriage wasn’t a dream I had when I was young. Over time, the Lord spoke to me a lot about how He had called me to marriage even if it was something I didn’t think I wanted. Once I came to terms with one day getting married, I asked God for one thing in particular.

“God, I want to feel at peace with him. I don’t need the butterflies. I just need to feel peace.”

The week before my wedding, I was constantly anxious. Some things didn’t go according to plan. I was sick for three weeks straight and some last-minute details were missed. All of it left me with a bundle of nerves. By the end of the day, everything was taken care of. Once everything was resolved, I put everything else in God’s hands and slept.

When I woke up on our wedding day, all I felt was peace. While I was getting ready, one of my bridesmaids was so nervous that she was pacing around the room where I was waiting. Yet my heart was at peace. The Lord had given me what I asked. Even as I walked down the aisle, there were no butterflies in my stomach. There were no nerves. No anxiety. I knew without a shadow of a doubt that I was making the right choice.

Sometimes we put a lot of value on the fuzzy feelings, the butterflies in our stomachs, and the romance of it all. We sometimes think if we don’t have those feelings, then something must be wrong. In reality, those feelings are fleeting. The butterflies went away for me very early in our relationship but peace replaced them. When life comes at me and tries to shake me, I can trust that my husband will be there to remind me Who gives me true peace.

One year later, Arthur has been the gift from God that I least expected. Countless times over the past year, he has pointed me to Christ when I’m anxious. He’s been gentle and kind with me while my mind was racing. He’s the best thing I never knew I needed.

What have I learned through all this? Well, there’s a lot but I think I’ve learned two things: The Lord knows what is best for us and He listens to every word we say to Him.

When I was younger, I didn’t understand why God would ask me to marry. Now that I’m here, I understand. The Lord knew what would be best for me, even when I was too stubborn to accept it. He knew I needed to have someone alongside me at this stage of my life. I would never have imagined how much Arthur would make my life better. Every day I’m so grateful that I listened to the Lord instead of insisting on my way.

This process has also shown me that He listens to our prayers, even the ones we don’t say out loud. I remember right before coming to Brazil, the Lord was speaking to me about the possibility of marrying someone from another culture. At that point, I was against it because I had heard horror stories of trying to get a green card for a spouse and didn’t want to go through that. When I finally opened my heart to the possibility, I told God, “I only have one request. I want him to already be able to speak English. I want to be able to speak English to him when I need to.” This was a prayer that I hid in my heart. When I landed in Brazil and met Arthur, he was teaching English!

It may seem like a silly thing, but the Lord listened to my silent request. He heard and paid attention to what I only shared with Him.

Even after only a year of marriage, I can tell you that the fuzzy feelings will go away, and they go away faster than you’d think. But when you’re with the right person, those feelings will only deepen and grow roots that will hold you together.

It may sound a little cliche, but the wait was worth it.