The Guy Across The Hall

Well Hello Friends!

I wanted to use this post as an introduction to my husband, Corban. You'll be hearing a lot about him as we unpack married life and the challenges we’ve personally faced. My hope is that by sharing our story, you find peace in your own walk — that you understand it’s okay not to be okay, and that it’s okay if your marriage goes through hard and challenging seasons.

Now, let’s get into the good stuff. :)

Picture this: 19-year-old Emily, sitting in her dorm room on March 21, 2022. I was having a very real conversation with the Lord that went something like this:

“Lord, I am not here to find a husband. I’m in college to make friends and make the most of being in Stillwater. I’m here to get an education and to learn. Lord, all I need is You, and You are more than enough.”

Sounds like I had it all figured out, huh? Yeah… I definitely did not.

No one tells you that when you get to college, everyone — and I mean everyone — seems to be looking for their future spouse. Maybe it’s the freedom of not having parents telling you what you can and can’t do. Who knows? But by then, I’d already been on a few dates, and honestly, I wasn’t impressed.

I wanted to be pursued. I wanted to be led. And I wanted a man who loved the Lord far more than he would ever love me.

And I couldn’t find him. So I swore them all off...Until the Lord said, “Not so fast.”

On March 27 — just six days after that dorm room prayer — I met my husband.

I was coming home from church when this super cute guy got on the elevator holding a Bible. He asked what floor I lived on… and the rest is history.

Two weeks later, he knocked on my door and asked me out on our first date. At first, I didn’t think much of it. “Oh, a cute guy and free food? Sign me up.”

But as I got to know Corban more and more, his heart and devotion to the Lord became so clear. He walks with such confidence in who the Lord says he is. He’s steady, grounded, and leads others well. I was completely head over heels by our third date.

“I have found the one my soul loves.” – Song of Solomon 3:4

Now, while our relationship may look warm and fluffy on the outside, there’s been plenty of hard stuff on the inside. But that’s who we are — two imperfect people trying to love each other the best we can. Corban and I had to learn quickly that the only perfect love is Christ’s, and the only thing that would truly sustain us — individually and as a couple — was leaning into the Lord.

There were times we had no idea what was next.
Were we supposed to get married?
Would we do long distance after college?

It was scary. I remember praying the summer before I graduated:

“Lord, if this man isn’t supposed to be my husband, then take him out of my life.”

Risky prayer, right? I definitely didn’t want to know the answer. I felt like I was right back where I started — asking the Lord what His plan was and trying to trust that it was better than mine. And let’s be real: trusting something you can’t see or audibly hear is hard.

It’s something I wrestled with for a long time.
How do you fully trust that God’s plan is better than your own?

Honestly? I still don’t have a perfect answer to that. But I can confidently tell you this: the Lord does bless us when we trust Him. And sometimes, we get to see those blessings loud and clear.

Fast forward to October 4, 2024 — that cute guy from next door got down on one knee and asked me to be his wife.

Now, planning a wedding in seven months? Yeah… I wouldn’t recommend it. But I would do it again in a heartbeat.

It was the best day of my life — simple, beautiful, and perfect in every way. Getting to stand beside Corban and become one was the most tangible picture of Christ and the Church I’ve ever experienced. Corban is everything the Lord knew I needed. He’s one of the greatest men, friends, husbands, and one day — fathers — I’ve ever met.

So, what’s the point of all this?
It’s not to portray our relationship as perfect or flawless — because my friend, it most definitely is not.

There has been hurt, pain, jealousy, and tears.

The point is to encourage you to trust.
To trust that the Lord has your best interest at heart.
To trust that He’s preparing your person, even if you haven’t met them yet.

And if marriage isn’t in your future — ask Him to take that desire away.
Scripture tells us that He hears our prayers.

Even when we don’t get an audible answer, we can rest in the truth that He is always good and  always working for our good.

I’m praying for you this week.

That you would lean into trust.
That you’d find peace in the waiting.
And that you'd remember you're never walking alone.