I am excited about my life.
The things that God has brought me through so far, the blessings He's poured out... the here and now and everything that's happening and all He's showing me... and of course, I'm excited about the future.
Ah, the Future.
Yep, tend to get stuck there sometimes...
I have a tendency to read posts and articles about marriage. There are some blogs I like to follow, and a couple of Facebook pages in my newsfeed. Some of the things I read are so encouraging. I love to see healthy, godly marriages and families, and hear their stories.
It gives me hope.
Yes, there are is an abundance out there... a huge resource of Christian material for married women, young and old alike. Sharing stories, spreading encouragement, passing along life lessons...
But... where are the resources for young women who are going through just as beautiful and complicated a season? The season of a relationship before marriage?
There are some pretty big differences. The two seasons are separate.
For instance...
--We can't read The Love Dare with our boyfriends.
--We can find all about God's design for being a Wife... but what about when you're still a girlfriend? What is your role now?
--Are there any Bible studies for couples who aren't married? Because we can't do the marriage ones, due to the topics they get into...
--Ten Ways to Love Your Husband... how about Ten Ways to Love Your Boyfriend?
--How to Pray For Your Husband... how to Pray For Your Boyfriend?
Well, you get the idea.
The fact is, there is a lot of help out there for women who are married. And praise God, because Heaven knows they need it. And hopefully someday you and I will need it too.
But right now, is it appropriate for me to be reading the marriage blogs? Is it wise for me to be staring toward the future, or shouldn't I be living in the here and now God has blessed me with? Treasuring it for what it is. Making every moment count.
I should be focusing on my present life, and the current stage of my relationship with this wonderful man God has stitched to my heart.
My energy needs to be put in the right place: On The Lord and my walk with Him, the person I am striving to become, and the relationship and friendships I'm blessed with.
And sometimes I need advice, or I need the perspective of someone else in the same stage of life as me. Somebody who can relate. Somebody who just went though this too, and can share what helped them.
And I can't be the only one. That is why I notice the lack of resources for these kinds of relationships.
And I can't be the only one. That is why I notice the lack of resources for these kinds of relationships.I am excited about this! This is an area of my life I'm passionate about, and to be able share and learn and grow... I'm grateful for this opportunity, and I cannot wait to see where it goes.
First things first: Right here, right now: this project is dedicated to God. To the King of my Heart and the Lord of my Life. To the One who makes all things possible, gives us unending, amazing grace, and the creator of Love Himself. All things are possible through Him. He gave me this life and the capability to Love, and I want to Live it for all it's worth...!
In Jesus' Name, Amen.
I'm going through the same season of life... the waiting season. The season when we feel like we need to move forward, but where to? The season where we want to grow spiritually to become the godly wives we dream of being someday. The season we tend to rush to the next step in, when we really need to stop and look around us and look back down the trail we're on to see just how far Jesus has brought us.
ReplyDeleteYes, I'm going through this season too. I've spent these last three years or so on this trail. I got a promise ring for my 15th birthday then. To me, it meant I wouldn't date until God brought the right man into my life.
Well, since then I've had a war with my heart. Fighting feelings, trying to find out just what it was I was suppose to be doing in this waiting time. I thought I had a pretty good stand on it. I mean, I was showing self control in not letting myself like any guys. I wasn't reading or watching twilight. "I got this," I thought. " I'll only have to wait a few more years anyways, right?"
I would somewhat tell myself this, but it got to the point where I daily would look out my bedroom window at the forest closing in on me. I would longingly look up into the sky and cry, " When God, when? When will he come into my life? Who is he?" I would scold myself for doing this, then would say how I was sorry for not being patent. I would realize that I wasn't ready for this yet so,humbly I'd ask, "God, please show me what to do. I'm a mess and although you're in my heart, I don't feel that close to you."
So, I asked Him to draw me closer to Him. To get me "Lost" in Him. I didn't want my family to see the struggle I was going through. I had worked so hard to make it look as though I was fine, on the outside. When in reality I was hungry for answers as to what I should be feeling, thinking, doing, that would honor God in this whole dating/waiting.
When I was 16-17 I finally gave up to Jesus my fears of hiding my hunger for love. There was a book that I kept thinking of and wanted to get. It was called, "Get Lost: Your Guide to Finding True Love," by, Dannah Gresh. It was a book about getting so lost in God that a guy has to go to Him before he can find you. God has used that book to teach me so many truths about how to go about this whole waiting process. It caused me to realize that I had set my sights on a future husband when I should have had them set on Jesus. My longing, or "Craving" as Dannah puts it, could only be satisfied in Jesus. I was like, "Well ya Rachel, you know that." But, the problem was I didn't "feel it."
I just now am begining to feel Jesus' amazing love working in my life. Just by talking openly and honestly to Him about this stuff and letting Him fill me with joy, has set my heart ablaze! Everyday now He's giving me a reason to rejoice. And the funny thing is, I don't feel the longing as much anymore. I'm so "lost" in my relationship with Jesus that I don't want (crave) another type of love. My soul has found intimacy with the creator of the galaxies and everything else is just so beautiful because of it.
I am by no means trouble free. I still have days where I dream of a future husband and a life of growing in God's love with him. Which isn't a bad thing. But, I am content in knowing, that Jesus loves me. And I mean for real, He. Loves. Me. More than I can ever imagine or experience.
"I am my Beloved's, and His desire is towards me." ~Song of Solomon 7: 10
Rachel, you inspire me so much. <3
DeleteI love having lunch with you, and our conversations are such a blessing- I thank God for bringing you back into my life! (No, seriously, like every day I thank Him, and pray His leading and blessings to rain down on you!)
You're really opening my eyes and giving me some nudges. I'm trying to take my time seeing where this blog is supposed to go, what God really wants me to use it for. (I want Him to lead! This is for His glory, and there is nothing good that can come from it if it's just me and not HIM.)
And I believe that more than earthly relationships, a HUGE portion of this project needs to be so focused on our lives as Christ-followers and strengthening our relationships with Him first, before anything else.
This is an amazing journey as we seek God, learn His true character, find out who we are meant to be in Him, and watch His plans unfold.
Slowly but surely, the path is being made straight, and I'm finding the right direction. :)
You are such an awesome friend Hannah. I love spending time with you and just being able to talk open and honestly about this kind of stuff and know that I'm not alone. You are a girl after God's own heart. I admire that. You encourage me to keep my focus on our Savior and what He sees in me, not what I see or everyone else sees. I'm blessed to have a sister in Christ like you Hannah. :)
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