What if the love story you’re clinging to only grows when you let it go? We sit down with Abbie Fly, oldest of four, marketer by day, fitness coach by sunrise, and high school girls’ mentor every week, to trace a path from campfire faith to a resilient marriage forged by surrender. The conversation begins with a counselor at Camp Tejas who saw Abbie, told the truth, and stood close enough for courage to catch. That seed became a calling: show up for teen girls, listen without judgment, and make room for honest questions about identity, pressure, and hope.

Then Abbie opened the chapter most of us know too well. At Texas A&M, Fish Camp paired her with Mitchell not by preference but by design: complementary strengths, instant friendship, and, eventually, real love. Senior year collided with reality. His petroleum career meant Colorado and years abroad. He chose singleness for the road ahead, and Abbie’s certainty crumbled. What followed was a hard lesson in control. She moved to Houston for a demanding schedule, cut off from church and community, and anxiety filled the silence. Naming the pattern—trying to muscle outcomes—became the first step toward release.

When she returned to Austin during the pandemic, peace met her at the door. Habits reformed. And then the phone rang. Mitchell had been laid off in the oil downturn and, on a promise to himself, moved to Austin. The reunion didn’t hinge on fate so much as formation: this time their relationship centered on faith, daily practices, and candid conversations that aligned values before romance. Abbie’s favorite image (God holding Eve back in Michelangelo’s work) became a lens: withholding isn’t punishment; it’s timing that protects a better yes.

We close with practical takeaways for students, singles, and anyone tired of white‑knuckling: be radically honest with God about fear and desire, seek mentors who tell you the truth, rebuild community before you need it, and remember that surrender does not shrink love, it deepens it. If this story met you where you are, follow the show, share it with a friend who needs hope, and leave a review to help more listeners find these conversations.

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