All the Single Ladies......

“Just wait. The moment you least expect it, when you finally accept your singleness and are content, that’s when God will bring that special person into your life.”

Okay, so I’m going to force myself to be content. I’ll try really really hard, and like a magic potion he will appear.

I wish.

I’ve always hated that mentality. It’s usually stated by middle aged married women who have the best of intentions and only want you to be happy, but I believe there are a few flaws in their logic:

1) It puts all the control and/or blame on us. We are the ones who are not being content enough if we haven’t found a mate yet, and we can do something to make God work faster. Legalistic Christianity at its core.

2) God doesn’t work on our timetables. Not because he wants us to suffer in solitude for years and years, but because if He has it in His plan for us to marry, it will happen at just the right time for His plan, not ours.

As I wasn’t was listening to the sermon this morning at church, I was thinking about this very issue. I found myself drawn to the book of Ruth, and a few things struck me:

• Ruth had an unshakable commitment to doing what was right. Her goal was not to get a man after her husband died, but to honor God by caring for Naomi.

• God blessed Ruth with Boaz, not because He just wanted Ruth and Boaz to be happy, but because He had a greater plan - continuing the line of David and eventually Jesus. It was not about them, it was about Him.

So how do I stop thinking about myself and my wants, and start thinking about what God can do with my life? How do I rest in the truth that if God has someone out there with whom I can partner to do His work, He will work it out?

Isn’t there a magic potion for this?

Reassurance

So, God's amazing.

1) I was a little down today because of a class that I haven't really connected with and isn't responsive in class at all, and therefore is doing pretty poorly overall. And if you know me, you know that I can be very hard on myself, always trying to figure out what I've done wrong or if I'm a horrible teacher.....

But as my last class of the day is leaving, two girls stick around to talk. They keep asking about dissections (typical for 6th grade), and I tell them about our fish dissection coming up and how I'm hoping to do another dissection at some point this year. As they're leaving, one girl says to me, "You know, I used to think science was boring, but now I think it's really cool!"

:)

Then, as I'm picking up and getting my stuff together to grade and prep after school, another student comes in. Now, you should know that my running joke whenever I refrain from giving homework is that "I accept flowers, chocolates, and notes about how awesome I am."

This little girl hands me a bag of chocolate cookies, and says, "You said you accept chocolates..."

I respond, "You know I was kidding, right?"

"Yeah, I know."

:)

2) I went for a jog tonight to clear my head and began to think about home, and fall, and all the seasons of life I'm missing. I again began to feel an ache in my heart.

Then I simply saw a yellow/orange frog hop away from my approaching step, and I remembered how awesome this place is and what an adventure I'm having here.

:)

God has this funny way of showing us in our own special way that we are in the place He has for us. I doubt that a rogue amphibian would mean so much to any other person, but God knew what I needed in that moment, and He supplied it.

Now to grade these papers I've been avoiding......