<\/p>\n
The first thing that struck me when I read this section of the book was the first line. \u201cOrpha\u2019s example of going after the available men could have influenced Ruth to return to Moab, the home of her parents and the gods of her youth. \u201c<\/p>\n
How many times have I let the examples of others lead me to places where God doesn\u2019t want me to go? How many times have I let the examples of others lead me to people God didn\u2019t mean for me? Sheesh, the first line and I am already beginning a series of introspective questions. But this is a good thing, I see it as God showing me the times in my life when I did not have eyes of faith, He\u2019s using my past to teach me how to trust Him in my present and in my future.<\/p>\n
Before I was married I had my daughter. I found myself a single mother with no prospect of a husband on the horizon. \u00a0I saw friends embarking on successful relationships, I saw my friends being happy, and well what I thought was happy at the time. And here I was, hopeless and alone. \u00a0I began to put my hope in my friends relationships; \u201cif I only do this or that I will be happy and complete like them\u201d, \u201cIf I go here or there I will find that successful relationship.\u201d I was putting my hope in the wrong things and in the wrong people. I most definitely did not have eyes of faith.<\/p>\n
Not having eyes of faith led me down roads I didn\u2019t need to go down, it led me to have relationships I didn\u2019t need to have. Not having eyes of faith separated me from God, it distanced me from him because I was telling him that I didn\u2019t trust Him enough to bring me the husband I wanted, \u00a0the life I desired, it said I didn\u2019t trust him to fulfill the promises he made to me, it went beyond me wanting a husband.<\/p>\n
As the book said I needed spiritual eye wash. I needed God to reign me back in and I need to began working on eyes of faith. I once had the wrong mindset that walking in faith would mean that everything would fall into place, that my knight in shining armor would be standing on my doorstep once I \u00a0committed to trusting Gods plan for my life. \u00a0Nope. It did not happen like that. I had to wait and have him better my vision; I had to strengthen my sight before he brought my husband. \u00a0It was hard at times but I knew He was working on me, preparing my husband for me and me for my husband.<\/p>\n
The good thing is that He is still working on me. I am still cleaning my eyes out daily in His word to become the Tonya He designed me to be. I can\u2019t see into the future but my eyes of faith don\u2019t have to, all I need to see is the words written on the paper, and in my heart. Some days are hard and I can\u2019t see straight, I can\u2019t feel the words on the paper. Despite my lack of feelings on those hard days, I know He\u2019s still there. I know I can still trust Him.<\/p>\n
Hebrews 11:6
\nAnd without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him\u00a0must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s pray:<\/strong> Your Assignment:<\/strong> _________________<\/p>\n If you would like to take part in this Online Bible Study and Facebook Discussion Group, please click on the \u201cSign-Up Here\u201d button located at the top of our website, in the Menu Bar. \u00a0Once we receive your request, we will add you to our group!<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The first thing that struck me when I read this section of the book was the first line. \u201cOrpha\u2019s example of going after the available men could have influenced Ruth to return to Moab, the home of her parents and the gods of her youth. \u201c How many times have I let the examples […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":21,"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":[144,147,293,365,425,436,491,545,554,593,968,1075],"class_list":["post-2452","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-singles","tag-bible","tag-bible-study","tag-debby-jones","tag-faith","tag-girlfriends-coffee-hour","tag-god","tag-hebrews-116","tag-jackie-kendall","tag-jesus","tag-lady-in-waiting","tag-singles-bible-study","tag-tonya-ellison","entry"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p39pHp-Dy","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2452","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\/21"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2452"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2452\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8196,"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2452\/revisions\/8196"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2452"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2452"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2452"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nLord, faith is hard sometimes, it shouldn\u2019t be but it is. I find myself questioning my life sometimes, I find myself asking question after question about my future. For that I\u2019m sorry. Please forgive me for not having eyes of faith, for not seeing that you have my future planned out and that the future you planned is the one that is good for me. I may not see what you have in store but I will stop allowing the examples of my friends influence me in my actions, I will stop allowing their examples \u00a0to influence me to look where I do not need to be looking, what you planned for them is not what you planned for me. Thank you for this time of waiting that you have given me to strengthen my faith and to become the woman of faith you created me to be. I bind satan\u2019s lies in your name. His whispers in my ears will not affect me. You know what you\u2019re doing and I am going to trust in you. Thank you for your grace and mercy on the hard days, when I can\u2019t see clearly. \u00a0You alone know what I need and when I need it. \u00a0In Jesus\u2019 name amen<\/p>\n
\nIs faith as a single woman ever hard for you? Does your vision blur from time to time? Let\u2019s encourage one another, when you need \u201cspiritual eye wash\u201d what scriptures help you see better?<\/p>\n