I must admit that when I started thinking about writing about this chapter for this blog, I was at loss!  How do I mix Faith and Boys in the same blog?  These are two different topics altogether and I was praying that I would be able to do justice to each without leaning more on one topic and neglecting the other.

But as I re-read the chapter over and over, I realize that one cannot talk about boys without talking about faith and neither can one find a lifelong partner without faith.

Somehow I equated faith with other spiritual things and not boys or men as the case may be.  I must repent I used to be logical about this subject.  Please don’t write me off yet but give ear to what I am going to say.

“Now Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” Hebrews 11:1

Hebrews chapter 11 is the Faith chapter and the “Hall of Fame” for the great men and women of Faith.  When reading this chapter you are introduced to the greatest exploits that people like Noah, Abraham, Joseph, Moses and everyone else did.  They overcame the most difficult situations; they were tested and passed through storms that we can only read about.

I thought faith came into play when I am faced with health issues, loss, job hunting and other major issues that I could not handle on my own.  But what about when I meet a guy I like.  Isn’t it so obvious that if I am single and he is single we can get together and see how it works out?  Right? WRONG.

As a Lady of Faith, I must take to God each and every decision that affects me.  I need to involve God in everything including issues of dating, marriage, etc.  Just because this nice young man is found in church and is involved in ministry doesn’t mean he is the right one for me.  I need to speak to my Heavenly Father about him before I can get involved.

You must be saying, “But Jackie, I have been here for so long, I have moved from my small town where “there are more livestock than people”; I have even changed churches so much that I have lost count the number of times I have filled out the membership forms; this is my opportunity, this is “where the boys are” so to speak.  This is my time; at last someone who is interested in me, who gives me the attention I deserve.  I can laugh at his jokes, he says the right words to me and never for once has he commented about my weight.  He is someone that I can introduce to my friends and family without feeling embarrassed because he is well spoken and articulate”.

Well girlfriends, I met such a guy once and I can relate to someone who once wrote “dear diary, I think I found the man I am going to marry” because I practically said that myself.

I returned to church after a five year hiatus and this church is where the Christian boys in town went to.  These boys were involved in ministry; be it choir, ushering, Sunday school, youth, evangelism; you name it they were there on the fore front.  Like every young woman on fire for Christ, I got involved in ministry and no sooner had I done that than I met him.  He was everything I thought a Christian guy should be.  He was involved in various ministries and then some.  He was a young man the Pastor relied upon.  Well, we dated for close to a year and the relationship grew serious to the point of getting parents involved and engagement talks were underway.  But something happened that caused the relationship to disintegrate.  Mr.  Right bowed out when I needed him the most.  Mr. Right did not sign up for what I was going through and he had prayed about the way forward and it was to end the relationship.

Through this heart breaking situation the Lord opened my “eyes of faith” and I was able to see that I had been in this relationship for the wrong reasons.  The Lord showed me that I wanted to be part of the church so much that I thought the best way to be accepted was by marrying this guy.  The Lord knew my heart better than I knew myself.  He did this to get my attention and to show me that I was accepted by Him and that He loved me the way I was.  I needed to serve Him with the right motive.  I needed to know who I was in Him before I could get married.  I needed to fall in love with Him before I could fall in love with someone else.

For three years, I embarked on a journey of getting to know the Lord and falling in love with Him as well as doing the things He wanted me to do.  It wasn’t easy because when a guy came along I wanted to throw caution to the wind and let logic take charge, but the Lord always reminded me what I went through and I needed to continue to trust Him with this.  He knew the desires of my heart and in time He would fulfill them.  Well He did because when I stopped searching and trying to help the Lord, He brought a man whom I married.

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LET’S PRAY

Lord, I commit my sisters into your loving arms today, be with them as they trust you with this area of Faith and boys.  I know how difficult it is to surrender this issue to you but that is the only way we can avoid heartbreak.  Lord we surrender our will to you today.  Open our eyes of faith to see what you have in store for us as we wait upon you.  You know the desires of our hearts and in time you shall fulfill them.  In Jesus Name. Amen.

YOUR ASSIGNMENT

1. When you meet a guy you like, what comes out first logic or faith?

2. Read through Hebrews 11 and underline all the verbs. Then go back through and confess, “By faith I can __________,” filling in the blank with the verbs from each verse.

Is there anything you can think of that you can’t do by faith?

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Be Blessed,

Jackie