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It all comes down to trust. \u00a0It seems to always come down to trust, doesn\u2019t it? \u00a0No matter what the situation, no matter what we are waiting for, no matter how hurt we are, no matter what decisions we make, it all comes down to that word, \u201ctrust\u201d. \u00a0So tell me, do you like to take things into your own hands, or do you trust God?<\/p>\n
As I was reading today\u2019s passage I had to smile. \u00a0If we are honest, we have to admit we have all done something to try to cause that \u201cchance\u201d rendezvous. \u00a0I can\u2019t say I have joined a ministry to be closer to a man I was interested in, or that I have switched churches to find a more singles-rich environment, but yes, I have lingered at times, hoping for a chance to say hello or have a conversation. \u00a0I have also gone to an event because there was more of a chance that there would be single males there, even if I weren\u2019t 100% interested in the event itself.<\/p>\n
I struggle with \u201cputting myself out there\u201d. \u00a0To say there is a shortage of single men in my church would be an understatement. \u00a0As I sit here and think about it, there are probably less than 10 men that would be appropriate for me to even consider as a possibility (and that may be being generous) and if I am not involved in church activities, I am involved in my son\u2019s activities, which means even if I am around men, they are married dads. \u00a0So yes, sometimes I wonder how I will ever meet someone if I am never around single Christian men. \u00a0That is when I can fall into the trap of taking things into our own hands.<\/p>\n
The hard part, for me, is knowing what is walking in faith, and what is taking things into my own hands. \u00a0Is going to an event I am not totally sold on walking in faith, because I need to give God opportunities and sitting in my house or at my singles starved church won\u2019t do that? \u00a0Or is it taking things into my own hands because it\u2019s not something I would have normally chosen to attend and I am trying to force God\u2019s hand?<\/p>\n
Another time this question comes up for me is when the topic of online dating comes up. \u00a0Some (married) friends have asked me whether I have considered doing e-Harmony or another Christian dating site. \u00a0Cost aside, I have the same questions. \u00a0Is that really having faith in God if I go onto these sites, or am I trying to speed up a process that God may already have in place that has nothing to do with the computer? \u00a0Is it opening myself up to temptations when I should be focusing somewhere else? \u00a0Or will God use this method to give me the man He has been preparing for me? \u00a0\u00a0How do we know? \u00a0We need to check our hearts.<\/p>\n
The last part of the passage really made me think. \u00a0How is your heart preparation? \u00a0When we get ready for church, or a singles event, or a small group, whatever it is, and you know \u201che\u201d or \u201cthey\u201d will be there, do you spend as much time preparing your heart, like Ruth, as you do preparing your physical appearance, like Orpah? \u00a0I can humbly and honestly say I never even thought of doing something like that. \u00a0I make sure I shower, do my hair, makeup, try to find a cute outfit, the whole deal. \u00a0I have never taken even 10 minutes to spend praying and talking to God. \u00a0Think about the difference that might make. \u00a0Not only will we look cute, but our heart is softened and opened to the will of God.<\/p>\n
When we talk to someone at church, maybe we won\u2019t be thinking about saying the right thing, we will know that God will give us the right words. \u00a0How does that sound? \u00a0Instead of wondering if we should be spending time with this man, we will be open to the nudging of the spirit and He will let us know if we are where we belong. \u00a0Don\u2019t we want a man that is interested in more than what we have on the outside? I am reminded of the quote, \u201cA woman’s heart should be so hidden in Christ that a man should have to seek Him first to find her.\u201d Well then ladies, I urge you, spend just as much time preparing your inside as you do preparing your outside. \u00a0Then you will be amazingly beautiful to the man God has for you.<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s Pray<\/strong> Your Assignment:<\/strong> <\/p>\n Thoughts to ponder:<\/strong><\/p>\n Have you ever made a major decision based on finding a mate? \u00a0If so, what was the outcome? \u00a0How about the little things we do? \u00a0Share some experiences you have had.<\/p>\n When getting ready to go somewhere do you spend as much time on heart preparation as you do on physical preparation? \u00a0If so, have you seen a difference? \u00a0Is this a new concept for you? \u00a0If it is, do you intend on making any changes?<\/p>\n God bless,<\/strong><\/p>\n Michelle<\/p>\n ________________<\/p>\n If you are interested in joining us in this Online Bible Study, click on the “Sign-Up Here” button at the top of the page, and follow the instructions. \u00a0Once we receive your request, you will be added to a group.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" It all comes down to trust. \u00a0It seems to always come down to trust, doesn\u2019t it? \u00a0No matter what the situation, no matter what we are waiting for, no matter how hurt we are, no matter what decisions we make, it all comes down to that word, \u201ctrust\u201d. \u00a0So tell me, do you like to […]<\/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":[144,147,365,425,436,554,686,723,736,9297,967,970,1083],"class_list":["post-2357","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-singles","tag-bible","tag-bible-study","tag-faith","tag-girlfriends-coffee-hour","tag-god","tag-jesus","tag-michelle-graziano","tag-online-bible-studies","tag-orpah","tag-singles","tag-singles-bible-studies","tag-singles-ministry","tag-trust","entry"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p39pHp-C1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2357","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=2357"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2357\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8191,"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2357\/revisions\/8191"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2357"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2357"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2357"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nLord I ask You to work on our hearts today. \u00a0We may not always have the purest of motives, even when we think we do. \u00a0But You know. \u00a0You know what is in our hearts. \u00a0According to Your word \u201cAll a man\u2019s ways seem innocent to him, but motives are weighed by the Lord\u201d (Proverbs 16:2). \u00a0Help us to discern our true motives when we make the choices we do. \u00a0We want to have a heart like You, and we need You to help us with that. \u00a0Help us to trust You, to truly believe that Your plans are the best plans for us. \u00a0Through the tough situations, the waiting, the hurts, the hard choices, help us to know You are there for us and, as always, have only the best intentions for us. \u00a0We love You Lord and want Your will for us. \u00a0Amen.<\/p>\n
\nPlease leave a comment below about chance rendezvous that you have tried to create.<\/p>\n