We think we are the ones making the plans. God’s Providence, however, directs and redirects our affairs towards His end whether we are aware of it or not. Brenda and Adam thought they and they alone were in charge of their destiny until a series of unexpected events convinced them that God is in charge and His ways are not our ways.

One night, they decided to take a stroll. If there was one thing they both agreed on, it was this: they would never get married because, for them, marriage was a meaningless ritual.

They wandered around for hours. At midnight, they meandered onto a deserted boulevard. Across the street, one solitary light beckoned. “Come on, Adam,” said Brenda. She pulled him toward the golden light, emanating softly from a tiny shop.

Illuminated in the store window was a dress so magnificent they both stared at it, transfixed. “Did you ever see such a beautiful dress?” gasped Brenda. “You know, Brenda,” said Adam, “if you ever wore a dress like that, I’d have to marry you.”

At that precise moment, the shop door swung open. A scrawny old woman appeared and impatiently waved them inside. “I understand you’re getting married. Come in and try the dress on,” said the old woman. Brenda, without giving it another thought, stepped into the dress. It fit as perfectly as the slipper on Cinderella’s foot. “I guess that’s it,” said Adam. “When should we set the date?”

The next morning, Brenda raced to the dress shop. “I want that dress in the window,” she told the two young shop girls.

“Okay,” they said. “But try it on first.”

“I don’t need to,” said Brenda. “I was here late last night. The older woman let me in.”

“What woman?” The two girls stared at her, amazed. “There’s never anybody here at night.” At that moment, the phone rang. The very woman who had let in Brenda and Adam the night before was calling. The conversation that followed was remarkable. It turned out that the old woman owned the shop, but had not been there in years. She had finished sewing the white dress, and she was so thrilled with her creation that she felt compelled to rush to her uptown store and display it. Just a few minutes later that night, Brenda and Adam strolled by.

Two months later, Brenda and Adam got married. Brenda and Adam couldn’t help wondering at the series of miraculous circumstances that changed their minds about marriage: the golden light in the shop window, the beautiful wedding dress, Adam’s remark about marrying Brenda if she wore that dress, the old woman who waved them inside, and Brenda stepping into the gorgeous dress that night.

One year later, their friends had gathered to admire their newborn baby, a girl whom Brenda and Adam hoped would someday wear the same wedding dress. “You know,” said a friend, in-between cooing and making faces at their adorable baby, “I still can’t get over the fact that you two got married. You just didn’t seem the type.”

“We’re not,” said Brenda. “It’s just that God had other plans for us.”