"God has made us for Himself, and our hearts can never know rest and perfect satisfaction until they find it in Him." ~ Hanah Hurnard
I don't know about you, but the holidays came on way too fast this year. I've found myself extremely busy and with a long to-do list. It doesn't help that school doesn't let out until TODAY, leaving me with 3 days to get my house ready for a Christmas party! Luckily I have great sisters who are going to help!
So, these last few days, I've found myself riding the emotional rollercoaster. It all started when I settled in with a good book the other day. Why do all books seem to focus on finding prince charming? No matter how much I try to focus on the great story and the characters, I seem to get sucked into the love story. Next comes the inability to think about other things and, in the case, I couldn't wait to read the next book in the series. I lasted less than eight hour and dove back in to the next book. I know I just complained about not having enough time to get ready for holidays and I find myself stuck in a book... and the self loathing began. It is times like this when I find myself reevaluating the things that take up my time. How much of them would the Lord approve of? Am I glorifying him? Isn't that my purpose in life? OH, the questions that fill my brain faster than I can answer.
This quote keeps coming back to mind - "God has made us for Himself, and our hearts can never know rest and
perfect satisfaction until they find it in Him."
It definitely is ringing true lately. I don't seem to be satisfied with much of anything that doesn't include Him, and sometimes that hasn't worked lately. To top matters off, we lost two member of my church congregation this week in non related events. The loss is there, but I also know that both of them were ready to meet our God. They had this peace about them, this I'm going home feeling. Sometimes, I envy that feeling. here I am stuck on this Earth surrounding by so much that I can't change. For me, seeing hurt students day in and day out, not to mention the hurt I've observed in my own life. It is draining. Serving God can be draining. Dealing with all the people at Christmas can be draining.
So, what are we to do? Well, I'm drawn back to the quote, especially the part that says we can find rest in HIM! I know I've heard this echoed all throughout the Bible. He IS our strength, but sometimes I find myself rolling around in a lake of self pity and creating the excuses and complaints. Which brings me back to, what do we do? Well, we let Him bring us peace.
Peace... such a beautiful word, so calming and full of hope. All we have to do is reach out and it can be ours for the taking. So I go through my mental checklist.
1. Did you have a quiet time?
2. How often did you talk to God today? actually stop and talk with Him!
3. Did I acknowledge His power over my life? Surrender everything to Him again? Is there something I'm holding back.
At this point, if I'm still not at peace by spending time with my Lord, I spend some more time with Him! My time with Him can be anything from joyful-noise-really LOUD worship (obnoxious piano included) where I just let it all out through worship to something more somber like reading His word or devotional book or writing in my journal. It really doesn't matter what you do as long as you are opening yourself up to communicate with Him. Just remember communication is a two way street, make sure you stop once and awhile to let Him speak to you. Block the world out and just be silent..
So, in the midst of all the Christmas cheer (or blues!), let the Lord in to soothe or rejuvenate your spirit. Call out to Him and He will answer, just make sure that you are listening for His answer!
Sunday, December 23, 2012
Saturday, December 15, 2012
How to survive the holidays as a single person...
My second post has been a long time in coming but not for lack of ideas. Over the last several weeks I have been sifting through my thought trying to decide what to pen, but nothing seemed quite right. This morning it hit me, right in the middle of a lazy saturday morning crocheting a Christmas present.
How to survive the holidays as a single person...
Just in case you haven't noticed, the holidays seem to be the time you are asked most often "Why you are still single?" Well, that is unless you work with pre-teens who don't filter their thoughts. If this is the case, you may get asked more often. Just this week a former student, now a ninth grader, couldn't seem to grasp the fact that I was still single and told me I needed to get married. Like most people, he seemed to think it was something I could fix quite easily by just getting married... if only.
Marriage and dating are something I would like to take part in, but I'm not settling for just anyone. um... I may even have a list... :) ... I kind of started out as a joke, but then it turned serious. I thought of things I really do want like personality traits or characteristics I would like in a mate. Now, I'm a planner and I know the Lord is probably laughing his head off at my list. However, knowing what I want (and what I believe the Lord wants for me) has helped me not to settle for someone who isn't the ONE the Lord has created for me. As for my list, some things are just plain funny, but when it comes to faith, I know I want a man who can lead the household, spiritually. I've joked with my youth students before and said that I teach children all day and I don't want to come home to a man that I have to teach, too.
In all seriousness, we Christians have to be careful to follow the Lord's lead and not settle for just anyone. Hold true to God's promises and be patient. Now, I know this isn't always easy to hear, especially this time of year. However, if there is one thing I know for sure, His timing is perfect and you wouldn't want to interfere with the great things He has planned for you. I have to keep reminding myself of this very fact; especially when I'm tempted to take matters into my own hands.
How do I do it? How do I survive this time of year as a single?
For starters, don't look at yourself and see something (or someone) missing. You have plenty of people in your life that want to love you, and I'm sure there are some waiting on some love themselves. I start with my family. I have two little sisters that I have been mothering practically from the womb. I've always been the bossy big sister, just ask them... :) Being single allows me to spend extra time with them by having girl nights, traveling with them, and making them feel special. As for the rest of my family, parents and grandparents get lots of loving from me too! I have the free time to drop by and have dinner; who doesn't love grandma's cooking? Or just stop by and chat. Add to that list college friends and coworkers and my life starts getting full. Not to mention school students, work, and my ministry students, now my life is really full. Did I mention the cutest 2 year old that I babysit from time to time... No, well let me say this little boy has stolen my heart forever. :) So when people assume I'm missing something because I'm single, I think of all the people I'm able to shower with attention, all the ministry opportunities I have. All this couldn't happen if I was involved in a romantic relationship. Things would definitely be different, and I'm not quite sure I'm ready for that. The Lord has given me a passion for encouraging others as well as showering them with attention. (You would be surprised how many people are looking for someone willing to listen to them.) Because of this passion, I have a very full life serving those around me. Don't get me wrong there are days when I do feel that gap in my life, but then I remember that Jesus can fulfill every need I have, including this one. I just have to be patient and rely on Him.
Relying on Him doesn't mean I've given up. It just means I am allowing Him to work in my life. Daily, I remind myself to surrender my romantic life to Him and thank Him for all the great people He has given me. In that prayer, I also ask for my helpmate. Just like I mentioned in the last post, the Lord commands us to ask to receive. I also try to meditate on the following passage.
Psalm 37:4-5
Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.
Enjoy your life; enjoy the ministry opportunities the Lord puts in front of you when you surrender your life to Him and wait. He'll fulfill all your needs and give you the desires of your heart. All this will happen is His timing and His way. Trust in Him and let me Him lead you. I promise your life will be the better for it. As for me, I have Christmas presents to finish and a choir rehearsal to get to. See ya next time!
How to survive the holidays as a single person...
Just in case you haven't noticed, the holidays seem to be the time you are asked most often "Why you are still single?" Well, that is unless you work with pre-teens who don't filter their thoughts. If this is the case, you may get asked more often. Just this week a former student, now a ninth grader, couldn't seem to grasp the fact that I was still single and told me I needed to get married. Like most people, he seemed to think it was something I could fix quite easily by just getting married... if only.
Marriage and dating are something I would like to take part in, but I'm not settling for just anyone. um... I may even have a list... :) ... I kind of started out as a joke, but then it turned serious. I thought of things I really do want like personality traits or characteristics I would like in a mate. Now, I'm a planner and I know the Lord is probably laughing his head off at my list. However, knowing what I want (and what I believe the Lord wants for me) has helped me not to settle for someone who isn't the ONE the Lord has created for me. As for my list, some things are just plain funny, but when it comes to faith, I know I want a man who can lead the household, spiritually. I've joked with my youth students before and said that I teach children all day and I don't want to come home to a man that I have to teach, too.
In all seriousness, we Christians have to be careful to follow the Lord's lead and not settle for just anyone. Hold true to God's promises and be patient. Now, I know this isn't always easy to hear, especially this time of year. However, if there is one thing I know for sure, His timing is perfect and you wouldn't want to interfere with the great things He has planned for you. I have to keep reminding myself of this very fact; especially when I'm tempted to take matters into my own hands.
How do I do it? How do I survive this time of year as a single?
For starters, don't look at yourself and see something (or someone) missing. You have plenty of people in your life that want to love you, and I'm sure there are some waiting on some love themselves. I start with my family. I have two little sisters that I have been mothering practically from the womb. I've always been the bossy big sister, just ask them... :) Being single allows me to spend extra time with them by having girl nights, traveling with them, and making them feel special. As for the rest of my family, parents and grandparents get lots of loving from me too! I have the free time to drop by and have dinner; who doesn't love grandma's cooking? Or just stop by and chat. Add to that list college friends and coworkers and my life starts getting full. Not to mention school students, work, and my ministry students, now my life is really full. Did I mention the cutest 2 year old that I babysit from time to time... No, well let me say this little boy has stolen my heart forever. :) So when people assume I'm missing something because I'm single, I think of all the people I'm able to shower with attention, all the ministry opportunities I have. All this couldn't happen if I was involved in a romantic relationship. Things would definitely be different, and I'm not quite sure I'm ready for that. The Lord has given me a passion for encouraging others as well as showering them with attention. (You would be surprised how many people are looking for someone willing to listen to them.) Because of this passion, I have a very full life serving those around me. Don't get me wrong there are days when I do feel that gap in my life, but then I remember that Jesus can fulfill every need I have, including this one. I just have to be patient and rely on Him.
Relying on Him doesn't mean I've given up. It just means I am allowing Him to work in my life. Daily, I remind myself to surrender my romantic life to Him and thank Him for all the great people He has given me. In that prayer, I also ask for my helpmate. Just like I mentioned in the last post, the Lord commands us to ask to receive. I also try to meditate on the following passage.
Psalm 37:4-5
Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.
Enjoy your life; enjoy the ministry opportunities the Lord puts in front of you when you surrender your life to Him and wait. He'll fulfill all your needs and give you the desires of your heart. All this will happen is His timing and His way. Trust in Him and let me Him lead you. I promise your life will be the better for it. As for me, I have Christmas presents to finish and a choir rehearsal to get to. See ya next time!
Monday, November 12, 2012
Season... really?
So, I realize the title is a little cheesy, but let's face it... We've all hoped that this thing called singleness is just a phase or season that we are going to pass through. Until a few weeks ago, I didn't realize that I'm approaching the ten year mark of my season of singleness. Oh no, I let the cat out of the bag!!! I don't usually throw this out in casual conversation for fear someone will see it as their duty to set me up with someone. However, I tell you now so that you understand I'm not someone to be pitied or adored. I'm just an average young woman trying to follow God's will and live my life accordingly.
Through this blogging journey I hope you understand that you are not walking this path alone and that there are plenty of people willing to support you. I'm going to be walking through a book by one of my favorite authors - Leslie Ludy. Whether you are single, married, or whatever, Leslie has a way of speaking to you in a plain and blunt way that gets through. I would recommend her and her husband's books to anyone (Eric Ludy). They are quite the couple and have an awesome love story only God could pen.
So now that I have stopped gushing over Leslie, let me tell you about "Sacred Singleness". This is a phrase Leslie uses as well as the title of one of her books. While most of us don't want to go there, singleness is a time to cherish and grow in the Lord. More importantly, we should be focused on growing in the Lord instead of attracting the next hot guy who is going to follow us around for a few weeks before he moves on to the next hot thing. Many Christian and non-christians miss the mark completely, thinking they can just live a good life and God is going to give them the perfect significant other and the perfect little house and family. Well, I hate to burst your bubble, it doesn't quite work like that for everyone.
Now you could be like my sister, instant attraction to Mr. Right... engaged in less than three months, wedding in under a year. Sometimes things do just fall into place and work to the benefit of those who trust in the Lord. Don't get me wrong, my sister and her fiance both have weathered the various storms of life and worked hard to become the individuals they are today. But for some of us, we work hard for the Lord everyday, trying to trust Him, waiting patiently (sometimes) for Him to lead and at the end of the day, we're still asking the Lord to send us our helpmate.
If there is anything I've learned from my ten years, it is never stop asking. In Matthew 7:7 the Bible says, "Ask and you will receive, Seek and you will find, Knock and the door will be opened to you." So, whether your singleness last a few weeks, months, or years, never stop asking for the desires of your heart. The Lord wants to give us those desires; however, we need to trust that his plans are better than ours. Tonight I'm going to close with probably the most quoted verse to our generation.
Jeremiah 29:11 - "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."
Remember you are not walking this journey alone, the Lord is with us every step of the way. Be a strong Godly woman, asking the Lord for the desires of your heart, but listening for His guidance.
Through this blogging journey I hope you understand that you are not walking this path alone and that there are plenty of people willing to support you. I'm going to be walking through a book by one of my favorite authors - Leslie Ludy. Whether you are single, married, or whatever, Leslie has a way of speaking to you in a plain and blunt way that gets through. I would recommend her and her husband's books to anyone (Eric Ludy). They are quite the couple and have an awesome love story only God could pen.
So now that I have stopped gushing over Leslie, let me tell you about "Sacred Singleness". This is a phrase Leslie uses as well as the title of one of her books. While most of us don't want to go there, singleness is a time to cherish and grow in the Lord. More importantly, we should be focused on growing in the Lord instead of attracting the next hot guy who is going to follow us around for a few weeks before he moves on to the next hot thing. Many Christian and non-christians miss the mark completely, thinking they can just live a good life and God is going to give them the perfect significant other and the perfect little house and family. Well, I hate to burst your bubble, it doesn't quite work like that for everyone.
Now you could be like my sister, instant attraction to Mr. Right... engaged in less than three months, wedding in under a year. Sometimes things do just fall into place and work to the benefit of those who trust in the Lord. Don't get me wrong, my sister and her fiance both have weathered the various storms of life and worked hard to become the individuals they are today. But for some of us, we work hard for the Lord everyday, trying to trust Him, waiting patiently (sometimes) for Him to lead and at the end of the day, we're still asking the Lord to send us our helpmate.
If there is anything I've learned from my ten years, it is never stop asking. In Matthew 7:7 the Bible says, "Ask and you will receive, Seek and you will find, Knock and the door will be opened to you." So, whether your singleness last a few weeks, months, or years, never stop asking for the desires of your heart. The Lord wants to give us those desires; however, we need to trust that his plans are better than ours. Tonight I'm going to close with probably the most quoted verse to our generation.
Jeremiah 29:11 - "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."
Remember you are not walking this journey alone, the Lord is with us every step of the way. Be a strong Godly woman, asking the Lord for the desires of your heart, but listening for His guidance.
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