{"id":2137,"date":"2012-10-09T06:00:51","date_gmt":"2012-10-09T11:00:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/?p=2137"},"modified":"2013-01-24T20:05:57","modified_gmt":"2013-01-25T01:05:57","slug":"lady-in-waiting-full-place-setting-enviable-singleness-and-unrelenting-pursuit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/2012\/10\/09\/lady-in-waiting-full-place-setting-enviable-singleness-and-unrelenting-pursuit\/","title":{"rendered":"Lady in Waiting: Full Place Setting, Enviable Singleness and Unrelenting Pursuit"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

\n<\/blockquote>\n

As I read the passages for today, two very distinct ideas came through for me. In trying to decide what to talk about, I felt I should share the full spectrum of my feelings while I read and re-read the passage, so I will try to talk about both without too much confusion!<\/p>\n

In \u201cFull Place Setting\u201d, the authors talk about a friend who, at first, was saving her best for when she found her future husband and got married. \u00a0When she realized she didn\u2019t need someone in her life to treat herself to the best she had to offer, it freed her. \u00a0She deserved china and crystal just as much as a single woman as she would as a married woman. \u00a0I agree with this 100%. \u00a0While I may not have china or some of the finer things in life, I do like to treat myself to things like manicures or a good haircut. \u00a0I like to use glasses and not plastic cups. \u00a0I like to wear pretty pajamas. \u00a0To do less implies that we are worth less without a husband and that is simply untrue. \u00a0So I am reading and thinking \u201cHey \u2013 I got this\u2026no problem\u2026finally something I don\u2019t struggle with!\u201d<\/p>\n

Then I thought of it. \u00a0My mattress. \u00a0Yes, my mattress. \u00a0I moved out of my parent\u2019s house when I was 26. \u00a0I had to buy all new furniture, and my new queen bed, finally graduating from the twin I had slept in all my life! \u00a0I am now 41. \u00a0This mattress is 15 years old. \u00a0It has rips, it sags, I constantly flip it, but it doesn\u2019t take long before I need to do it all over again. \u00a0Now why am I telling you about my beat up mattress? \u00a0Guess what I say every time I wake up with a sore back, or I am changing the sheets and I see the rips or handles falling off? \u00a0\u201cWhen I get married, I\u2019ll get a new mattress set. \u00a0It will be a fresh beginning.\u201d \u00a0My mattress is my \u201cpaper plates\u201d! \u00a0Do I not deserve a good night sleep as a single woman? \u00a0To wake up without pain? \u00a0To feel like I am worth more than rips, tears and a big sag. \u00a0I don\u2019t have to wait until I will be sharing my bed with a man to get a new mattress. \u00a0I am worth it all on my own! \u00a0(Now to find the money! \u00a0)<\/p>\n

Now, in the rest of the passage I was called to look inward and see if I am doing all I can in service during my time as a single woman in Christ. I feel that I have fully embraced this time as a pursuit of Jesus and service. \u00a0My situation is a little different, because I am a single mom of a 5 year old boy. \u00a0Some may use this as a reason not to do as much at church, but have looked at the last 3+ years as a great way to include my son in the life of the church, so that he develops a love for it as much as I have. \u00a0I will not lie. \u00a0I have a lot on my plate, and I have been praying for guidance in whether God still wants me in all the places he has me. \u00a0That does not mean that I don\u2019t enjoy everything I am involved in (or it wouldn\u2019t be so hard to think about letting something go!), but admittedly it is a juggling act and sometimes I am very grateful for grace!<\/p>\n

If you have not gotten involved at your church yet, I wholeheartedly encourage you to do so. \u00a0Pray to see where God leads you, think about what you enjoy, and if you don\u2019t like babies I wouldn\u2019t suggest the nursery as your first volunteer experience! \uf04a \u00a0God may surprise you. \u00a0When I was first saved, I felt the calling of God clearly in the areas of youth and music. \u00a0I got involved in youth group right away, but it wasn\u2019t until a few months ago that it became my time to get involved in the Worship Team. \u00a0Be sensitive to the spirit. \u00a0One place I never thought I would be is the head of women\u2019s ministries in the church, but the fruit I have seen from serving in this ministry is truly humbling.<\/p>\n

.
\nOne of the best ways to combat feeling sorry for ourselves in our time alone is to serve others in need. So ladies, take some time to pray today. \u00a0Where does our Lord want you? \u00a0Where can you be of service to Him? In your church? \u00a0In the missions field? \u00a0In your local community? \u00a0My guess is that God knows exactly where you belong, and can\u2019t wait to see you shine! And remember, use the fine china along the way!<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s Pray<\/strong>
\nLord I know that you have amazing experiences in store for every woman reading these words right now. \u00a0Help them to see where they are needed. \u00a0If they already faithfully serve you, give them the strength to continue on their path. \u00a0All that we do is for Your glory. \u00a0At times it is easy to focus inward on ourselves, and our situation. \u00a0Jesus help us to be humble as we serve and be reminded that it\u2019s not all about us. \u00a0We are needed, we are useful, and we deserve to give ourselves the best along the way. \u00a0In your Holy Name we pray. \u00a0Amen<\/p>\n

Your Assignment<\/strong>
\nPlease leave a comment below sharing your experiences with service. \u00a0Do you currently serve in your church or other organization? \u00a0If so, how does that help you? \u00a0Does it help you?
\nIf you are not currently serving, what things are you interested in that could lead to service opportunities? \u00a0Have you prayed for guidance? \u00a0Talked to someone at your church? \u00a0What would you like to see come out of that experience?<\/p>\n

Blessings,<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Michelle<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As I read the passages for today, two very distinct ideas came through for me. In trying to decide what to talk about, I felt I should share the full spectrum of my feelings while I read and re-read the passage, so I will try to talk about both without too much confusion! In \u201cFull […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[20],"tags":[147,387,425,554,686,1174,1151,1152],"class_list":["post-2137","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-singles","tag-bible-study","tag-fine-china","tag-girlfriends-coffee-hour","tag-jesus","tag-michelle-graziano","tag-self-worth","tag-worthiness","tag-worthy","entry"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p39pHp-yt","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2137","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/16"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2137"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2137\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8161,"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2137\/revisions\/8161"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2137"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2137"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2137"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}