Wait and hope for and expect the Lord; be brave and of good courage and let your heart be stout and enduring.
Yes, wait for and hope for and expect the Lord.Psalm 27:14
Earlier today I came across an article aimed toward single Christian women titled, “The One Life Dream That Makes A Girl Blush.” I, of course, was immediately intrigued! I glean whatever encouragement and wisdom I can from these type of messages, so I was stoked to hear what the article said. At first, the article spoke right to my heart, but as it went on, I felt it missed the mark of one important part of singleness – when your dreams aren’t turning into reality… at all. How do we navigate this? How do we keep our courage and hope for the future when all we want, deep down, is to be loved by a man and potentially raise a family with him… yet our lives show no evidence of this being able to happen?
The second and third paragraphs stuck out to me the most as I read them:
“And yet, I see it. When the water is poured again and they lean back after a dish is served to their friends. When they take a breath and their shoulders slump a little. After they’ve told me all of they’ve said of their current life, their work, their time, their goals. They don’t want to say it, for fear that admitting it will make them look weak.
“I know it’s silly,” one girl said. “I know. But…” she hesitated, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “I really just want to be married. To raise some kids. To take care of a home.” She’s almost embarrassed by the time she’s finished saying the sentiment. As if admitting it has made any impressive strength and wit she had faded away into a pile of proverbial laundry and dishes. As if she’s ashamed for wanting something so “trivial” and simple. “Is that silly? I mean, it’s really all I really want to do.”
The article continues on about how feminism has gone so far we’ve almost forgotten what it’s like to be feminine… which was a great read! But… I still felt something missing. A part of me felt awakened, but it was not addressed.
I KNOW I’m not the only one who, when life takes a slight breath or when there’s a slight pause in the middle of the hustle and bustle, feels discouragement or sadness creep in. I KNOW I’m not the only one. As soon as she said, “When they take a deep breath and their shoulders slump a little,” tears immediately started to fill my eyes. My heart broke with the familiarity of that feeling. I’ve been there too many times.
What do we do with these moments? Are they inevitable? Can we live our lives in such a way where we never have to struggle with loneliness or discouragement?
I honestly think we’ll never fully be able to get rid of these moments. We can definitely do things to help them occur less and less! But it’s almost like someone who mourns the loss of a loved one – the pain and heartache lesson as the years go by, but you’ll always have moments when the loss will hit you out of the blue. We can guard our hearts as much as we want, but that one moment when we’re not paying attention, BAM!… the pain will hit.
So how can we best navigate these moments?
First, I’m going to bring you back to the verse at the top of this post: Psalm 27:14. The AMP version of it reads,
“Wait for and confidently expect the LORD; Be strong and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for and confidently expect the LORD.”
Who gives us the confidence? Who gives us courage?
Notice how “confidently expect” comes after the “wait for.” I firmly believe when we live our lives in line with God – when we turn to Him in our wait, allowing Him to work in and through our lives – we will receive the confidence and courage we so desperately desire. It’s not a one time fix all, but an everyday decision.
Psalm 37:4-5,7a says, “Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He will give you the desires and secret petitions of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD [roll and repose each care of your load on Him]; trust (lean on, rely on, and be confident) also in Him and He will bring it to pass. … Be still and rest in the Lord; wait for Him and patiently lean yourself upon Him;”
I once heard “the wait” is not sitting around and waiting for your spouse to walk through the door. Instead, there is a different wait that we should focus on – the serving kind; the kind that requires action. Just like a waiter “waits on” people, so should we be going and “waiting on” whatever God asks us to do. Okay, so not actually waiting on people… I mean doing what we’re called to do.
We’re all uniquely and wonderfully made. We all have a destiny and purpose for our lives. Imagine how much we’re missing out on when we allow ourselves to be caught up in the stagnant “wait” for our future spouse instead of living our life in action? One of my favorite quotes of all time says, “Do what you love and you’ll find someone who loves the same thing. Don’t look for love, don’t beg for love, don’t suffer for love. Just live.” How much more content do you think we would be if we took this quote to heart?
I hope this little blurb helped you some. If anything, please know you’re loved, cherished, and wanted, even if your life doesn’t show it! Also, know your dreams and desires aren’t something to be ashamed of, especially as time goes on and they remain unfilled. Know they’re cared about by our Heavenly Father. He knows and sees all and He IS working in your life.
If your dreams aren’t coming true, please know and believe God hasn’t forgotten about you. Keep persevering, pursuing Christ (who gives us the TRUE fulfillment of our life), and doing everything to live life to the fullest.
You’re amazing and I can’t wait for what God has planned for your life – which may look NOTHING like you expect, but will be everything you’d never want to do without.
God bless you all!
Woman of Purity ~
Photo Credit: Oleksandr Pidvalnyi from Pexels
Woman of Purity 