They That Wait!!: The Story of Chad Johnson (and Michelle Williams)

Can I just say that I low-key have a crush on Michelle Williams’s fiancé Chad Johnson?

When I first heard news of this engagement, my first thoughts were:

Wasn’t she already with someone?  Well, good for her.

Oh!  He’s White!! At least someone loves us… we can always count on a White man to appreciate a Black woman…  and “Chad” has got to be the whitest name ever. lol

Oh okay… he’s a pastor. Okay… *nods head* Okay!! *keeps nodding head in approval*

I only saw one pic and kept it moving.  Yay for Michelle.

I then informed my sister, and my sister said, “Well, she isn’t selling any albums so at least she has something going for her.”

Then we talked about how Michelle was always the neglected and forgotten third member of Destiny’s Child (#poorMichelle comes to mind), and I shared my theory of how they probably let Michelle join the group knowing that her poor vocals would be no match for the other two (who happen to be related), thus allowing Beyonce and Kelly to shine.

 

We are haters.  (But then I saw this tweet and realized that, though it’s super funny, it’s not right to poke fun at her neglection.  I know better:)

But then – THEN – I saw a People.com article posted and now you guys… you guys…  I believe in love again.  Chad is a pastor/chaplain (!) Chad raised his nephews.  Plus Chad is cute.  I cannot lie. (And he looks mixed… not that it matters…).

I read this story that Chad shared and it made my heart sigh:

“On my 30th birthday, everybody came and celebrated me. The next day, I woke up alone. I was so lonely. I had a little pity party. My personal life was lacking so much, and I was living so single,” recalls Johnson, who turns 41 in July. “So as a response to that moment, I opened up a ring account, and for 11 years, I put $150 into a ring account.”

“Every month I’d put money into that account; I would just say, ‘My wife’s coming; this is for my wife.’ I did that for 11 years.” Still, he admits it wasn’t always easy: “At six, seven, eight years in, I wanted to pull that money out and spend it on a sports car!”

Awwwwwwwwwwwww.

I know how you feel Chad.  I know how you feel.

And then Michelle said:

“I saw this ring in February — a friend of mine is a wedding planner from London, and I just saw this ring, and it stood out to me! And I took a screenshot of it like, ‘God, I would really like something like this.’ But how do you tell your man to make sure he gets the right ring?” Williams says.

“But I was like, no, whatever he gets me … But then the ring that spoke to me is almost identical to the ring Chad had already purchased and designed! It’s kind of like God was showing me, this is what’s to come,” she adds. “It was really, really crazy.”

And have you seen the ring?  Yes?  Okay then.  No complaints here.

It’s almost like the Lord inspired Chad with the idea… like God said, “The woman I have for you is a celebrity [kind of… lol.  I kid.  Bad Simone.] and she’s not gonna want a ring from Sears so you better start saving up now.”

You see?  He waited, and look what he got – he got a member of Destiny’s Child.  A child of destiny.  No random woman from church.  A celebrity.  With money.  And good looks.  Look at God.  They that wait upon the Lord…

(Speaking of Johnsons, I’m hoping my husband looks like and has money like Dwayne Johnson and saved up money for my wedding ring like Chad Johnson… and… and… I hope… ah… fine… *Sigh*… and has the character of Jesus.  That’s the only way that this wait — my wait — would be worth it).

Chad is case in point that there are indeed cute Christian men out there, trying to live for Jesus and waiting on “the one.”  There are only about ten such men worldwide, and not all of them are good-looking, and I think I may have met two of them, but they EXIST!  That’s what’s important.

In a strange way, I felt validated by Chad sharing that story.  Him sharing those details reminded me that it’s not always true that men have the upper hand and have it made when it comes to dating.  We all have that moment of “oh no, I’m not going to get married before Jesus comes and I will be forever alone.”  We women are not the only ones who feel pressure and sometimes get really down (like depressingly so) about marriage and singleness and the lack of dating prospects.  Men do too.  And we don’t hear much about it because they don’t talk about it much.  We’re all searching for that someone, but some of us act like we’re okay all the time, like it’s not an issue for us, like it’s only women who are crazy and need advice and help and support (I’m looking at you, Steve Harvey).  And Chad’s vulnerability made me like him even more, because that’s what vulnerability does.

Oh Lord – where’s my Chad? *Weeps* And do I have to wait until I’m forty like Chad?  People out here getting married at the same age Isaac married Rebekah…  I thought we were done with late in life marriages???  Looks like we’re just getting started.

It also shows that, more often than not, you pair up with someone who is on a similar life path.  Chad just got out of a bad relationship.  Michelle just got out of a bad relationship.  He’s a Christian.  She’s a Christian.  He’s in his early 40s.  She’s in her late 30s.

There’s a reason why divorced people often marry other divorced people.  Glennon Doyle Melton and her wife Abby Wambach both had dealt with addiction in their lives long before they married one another.  Like I said in my post about Why Did God Put Adam Asleep?, our mates often recognize themselves in us, and that’s what ultimately draws them to us, or us to them.  Opposites attract, maybe, but it is our brokenness that bonds us together.

Gah!  Lord send me a Chad.  And congrats Michelle. ❤  (#PoorMichelle no mo’.)