The Heart Posture for True Love

Vikie and Tonya have been best friends since they were 5 years old. Their parents always told them that when they got older, they would become wives and have a family of their own. So, when Vikie turned 25, she was tired of her family asking her when she was going to get married. She pressured her boyfriend to marry her, or she’d leave him. After a four-year-long relationship with her boyfriend, she finally got engaged. Tonya, on the other hand, had never been in a relationship; her family even questioned her sexuality, but Tonya didn’t let people's opinions of her force her into doing something she needed preparation for. She believed that God would bring her husband to her when he was ready for them to marry. Two women with the same desire, but for different reasons.

At 3:00 AM, Vikie’s cell phone rang. She rolled over and reached for it. “Tonya. What’s wrong?

“I can’t sleep, Vikie. I had this dream that I was holding a baby, and then I experienced these shocks that woke me up. I believe God is trying to tell me something.”

“Tonya, it’s late, I’m going to go back to bed. Bye.

Meanwhile, Tonya tossed and turned, but couldn’t fall back to sleep. She sat at the edge of the bed and planted both feet on the floor. Both hands cuffed her face. She stood up, slipped on her fuzzy navy blue slippers that were beside her bed, strolled to the kitchen, and made a cup of tea. “Hello, Gorgeous” was written on the mug she picked from inside the cabinet. She then turned on the T.V. and plopped down on the couch with a mug in hand. Two hours later, Tonya’s eyes were heavy, she yawned, placed her tea on the rustic wooden coffee table, and lay down. Before the next hour of infomercials could play, Tonya was fast asleep.

Tonya’s eyes began to roll left and right underneath her eyelids, which showed she was in a realm sleep. In her dream, she wasn’t an active participant; rather, she watched it unfold like a movie. She saw herself in a bus station, walking towards a man with broad shoulders, a close-cut fade in a black trench coat. She only saw the back of his silhouette as she hugged him. Right in that moment, a shock woke her up from her sleep again.

Tonya was livid that she couldn’t interpret her dream, before she had to prepare for work. Tonya was the Editor-in-Chief of her local magazine, “The Glitz.” She had to make sure she didn’t run late because it was her responsibility to complete the layout. Tonya’s heart raced as her pace quickened in her search for the bathroom. With only an hour and a half left to get ready, she leaped into the shower and washed up, brushed her teeth, got dressed, and bolted out the door. Tonya made a beeline for her powder blue Volkswagen Beetle parked in her driveway. Tonya made it to work and managed to lay out the magazine before her co-workers arrived.

“You did it again, bestie.”

“Did what again, Vikie?”

“Perfectly laid out the magazine after having little to no sleep. I know you haven’t gotten any rest after our 3:00 AM call.”

“Oh, I have to apologize about that. I’m sorry.”

“No worries, I just couldn’t comprehend anything you said because I was half asleep. We can talk about it after work.”

Vikie, a copy editor focused on editing the magazine alongside their team, worked for 12 hours, and the magazine was ready for publication. The two ladies agreed to meet at an Italian restaurant after work to celebrate and discuss Tonya’s dream. Both women headed home first to freshen up and met at the restaurant. Tonya was excited to share what God had put on her heart. Vikie was waiting at the table for Tonya. She heard Tonya’s sneakers squeak on the freshly waxed tiled floor. She turned her head and raised her hand, signaling to Tonya which table to sit at.

“Hey, Tonya over here!”

Tonya walked over to Vikie’s table and plopped down in the booth right in front of Vikie.

“I have to tell you why I called you at 3:00 AM. I had a dream that I was holding a baby. I believe the baby that I was holding was my own. As a matter of fact, it was more like a vision from the future. Anyways, so in the vision the baby was crying and then I felt a shock that woke me up.”

Frown lines appear in the middle of Vikie's forehead as she processes what Tonya said.

“Are you pregnant?”

Tonya’s eyes bulged out of their sockets like Louis Armstrong’s. Because unless she was carrying the second coming, she couldn’t be pregnant. After all, she was still a virgin waiting for marriage.

“Absolutely not! I would actually have to be with a man. I’ve never even dated a guy.”

“Well, if you had this vision, I was assuming you at least had a possible suitor. How are you going to have a baby without a man? Do you not know how the human anatomy works? Are you thinking about artificial insemination?”

“No, I have no love interests, and I’m not going to a doner clinic to get inseminated. I believe God is showing me his plans for me, and he just gave me a glimpse of the future to prepare for. He is answering my prayers. I prayed to be a helper to the man he created me for. Jeremiah 29:11 says For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. That is exactly what God is doing, giving me hope and a future, Vikie. I don’t know when this is going to happen, when I will meet my husband, but I know I have to be obedient and prepare.”

“I’ve never had a vision of the future. I just see angel numbers. My beliefs are different than yours.”

“What exactly do you believe in, Vikie?”

“I believe that all ways lead to the same way as long as you're a good person. What is your belief, Tonya?”

“I believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and that he died so that I could live.”

“But I think if that were true, Tonya, you would be in church every Sunday. I think you would be a lukewarm Christian because you don’t walk the walk.”

“You’re absolutely right. Then I’ll start my journey by getting baptized.”

“You’re 27, Tonya, and you are just now coming to that conclusion?”

“Well, better late than never. Do you want to start going to church with me?”

“No, I don’t think that would be a good idea because we don’t share the same belief systems.”

Vikie was frustrated with Tonya because she didn’t understand her value systems. Vikie was engaged, but no wedding date was in sight. She and her fiancé, Mike, were struggling to support themselves, so how were they going to pay for a wedding? Mike suggested that they elope, but Vikie had massive wedding plans. She thought Tonya was delusional and just brushed her off. She quickly finished her meal and left the restaurant.

“I have to go because my living, breathing fiancée is waiting for me to get home. I will see you at work tomorrow.”

Tonya paid for their meal and went home. She wasn’t surprised at Vikie’s reaction because she would always throw her engagement in her face. Tonya, well-spoken and well-accomplished, knew she moved to her own beat, her own drum. She didn’t want anyone’s validation anymore; she just wanted a relationship with God. She started focusing on her health and got a gym membership. She even hired a personal trainer. At her first appointment at the gym, she was late and didn’t make a good impression on her personal trainer, Adonis. He made it clear that time management was important to him and gave her tips on how to manage her time effectively because they both struggled with ADHD.

“I need you to warm up on the treadmill for 10 minutes, then head upstairs, and we will work on the upper body.”

Tonya, out of breath, pushed through the last 60 seconds on the treadmill and met Adonis upstairs. He had her do arm extensions, chest press, and lateral raises. Once they finished, Adonis walked her downstairs, and as he turned around to open the door for her, she noticed his silhouette resembled the man in her dreams. She knew in that moment that this was the man God had shown her was her husband. She didn’t say anything to him, but she wondered if God was communicating with him like he was with her. The more they trained, the more they learned about each other and formed a bond. Adonis built up enough courage to ask Tonya out on a date, and she, of course, said yes.

Adonis picked Tonya up, and the pair went to an upscale Chinese restaurant located in downtown Oklahoma City. They asked each other very personal questions. Tonya shared information she had never told anyone about her childhood, and Adonis shared personal details from his. Adonis opened up about having a baby on the way, and Tonya was shocked but respected his honesty. After dinner, Adonis took her to his childhood home, then drove her to the apartments where she grew up. The two were very interested in each other, but he seemed to be holding back. Tonya believed he was still in a situationship with another woman, which he was upfront about. And Tonya was holding back because she had some daddy issues. Every time they were together, it was like they were each other's mirror.

Eventually, Adonis started to distance himself because he couldn’t handle the reflection staring back at him through Tonya’s eyes, and Tonya cared but didn’t want to overstep his boundaries. Tonya decided to keep moving forward with her life. She got baptized and started her own podcast about her spiritual journey. From there, she published a poetry book and began to rebuild her relationship with her dad and older brother. She spent more time with her mom and niece and started getting involved in her community. Her relationship with Vikie was still strained, but they were still communicating.

Tonya had one last dream about Adonis. In the dream, she saw a little girl, about 4 or 5 years old, sitting in front of her, and when someone called her name, she ran and jumped into the arms of one of Adonis’s friends. The little girl resembled her. Adonis was right beside him and yelled, "I’ll see you at the gym at 7:00 AM." Then she woke up. She wanted to share this information with Vikie, but decided not to because of Vikie’s reaction to the last dream.

However, at work, Vikie took every chance she could to rub it in Tonya’s face that she was getting married. Tonya was happy for her, though; she even helped Vikie pick out her wedding dress, and Tonya couldn’t wait to be a maid of honor and support her friend at the altar. The issue was that Mike was dragging his feet, and 3 years went by, and still no wedding. Tonya wanted to sit down with Mike and Vikie to pick Mike’s brain and figure out where he stood. Tonya waited for Vikie to step away, and then she confronted Mike.

“So, Mike, when are you planning to marry my best friend?”

“When I save more money, I want to give Vikie the wedding of her dreams.”

“Okay, Mike, how much do you need? I will give you the money as a gift.”

“I don’t want your money; I will pay for everything myself.”

“Okay, so money isn’t the issue then. You really don’t want to marry Vikie, you just want to play house for 7 more years.”

Mike heard the bathroom door open and asked Tonya to be quiet and not to question him anymore, especially in front of Vikie. Vikie walked into the room, and Tonya excused herself from the table. She hugged her best friend and left. Vikie called Tonya the next day and asked what Mike said that made her leave early the night before last.

“You know I have never been fond of Mike. I just don’t like how he is stringing you along, Vikie. I feel that after a 3-year engagement, and I don’t know what is taking him so long to seal the deal and make an honest woman out of you.”

“Tonya, I know he loves me; he is just making sure he is fully ready before we make things official.”

“Okay, Vikie, as long as you're happy, I’m happy.”

A year and a half had passed, and Tonya had finished her second book. A science fiction novel. She pitched the story idea to an agent at a writers' convention, and the agent was interested and decided to help her turn the book into a screenplay. The agent felt that her book would make a great science fiction film. He ranked her up there with Stephen King and Steven Spielberg. Tonya’s script gets picked up by a movie producer in Texas, and they begin filming.

After a year of filming, Tonya’s book became a film and was released in theaters worldwide. She decided to hold a showing at a theater and took a leap of faith, texting Adonis an invitation. He replied instantly, saying he would be there and that he had someone he wanted her to meet. Later that night, after the movie, she sees Adonis with a group of his friends, glances down, and spots a little girl who resembles her as a child. The little girl sat down in front of Tonya and stared at her. Adonis called to her, and she ran and jumped into his friend’s arms, just as she had in her vision years ago.

“I’ll see you at the gym at 7:00 AM tomorrow.”

God had been working on both her and Adonis, and now the pair was finally able to build a relationship again without all of the stress of their pasts. The blood of Jesus Christ washed their sins away and healed their wounds. They were whole and ready for love and to be loved. Adonis’s daughter's mother gave up her rights, and Adonis was a single dad. He needed a helper, and God prepared a helper suitable for him, just like he did with Adam. Tonya was his Eve, and the two rekindled their relationship. 6 months later, Adonis proposed, and they were married within a year. She invited Vikie and Mike to the wedding, but they never showed up, and they were still not married, still living in sin.

A month after their honeymoon, Tonya found out she was pregnant. 9 months later, Tonya gives birth to a healthy baby boy, crying, and as she stares at him, she remembers the vision God gave her years ago of this exact moment. She thanked the Lord for her blessing and Adonis, and Tonya decided on the name Tobias, which means “God is good.”