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Ok, time for me to fess up.\u00a0 I was not looking forward to doing this chapter.\u00a0 Let\u2019s just say that patience isn\u2019t my best virtue, especially when it comes to my being single.\u00a0 I feel that the fact that I am 41 years old, that I have \u201ckids\u201d that I saw be born, getting married,and having their own babies; that I am using wrinkle cream and hair dye more than acne cream and cute hair styles, has qualified me for having \u201cenough\u201d patience and I am growing tired of it.\u00a0 I have to stop myself from rolling my eyes when I hear a 25-year-old complaining about being single.\u00a0 I think to myself, \u201cTry adding 16 more years of being single and see how it feels!\u201d.\u00a0 Now, with all that being said\u2026I KNOW THIS IS WRONG\u2026I am not proud of it.\u00a0 It is a quality I do not like in myself, and it is something I am completely willing to work through while we go through this chapter.\u00a0 I don\u2019t want to stay here, it\u2019s not fun.\u00a0 So let\u2019s start unpacking this together, are you with me?<\/p>\n
I enjoyed the story of Janis and Linda from the book, and I literally laughed out loud with Linda\u2019s \u201cGreat is Thy Faithfulness\u201d line.\u00a0 Now both their stories ended with happy marriages and they both enthusiastically agreed it was worth the wait.\u00a0 We don\u2019t know how old they were, how long their wait was, but it did seem like it was a painful process for them, even though they joked about things and kept the faith.\u00a0 They stayed strong in their convictions and were \u201crewarded\u201d for that.\u00a0 It does make me curious about what would have happened if one had married and the other hadn\u2019t, or if they were both still waiting, but that is a topic for another day!<\/p>\n
What did speak to me, in a big megaphone type way, was the line, \u201cMany women have waited and won.\u00a0 Many women have lost faith and compromised.\u201d\u00a0 How many of us have put time constraints on God?\u00a0 Or at least thought \u201cIf \u2018x\u2019 doesn\u2019t happen by a certain date, then I am just going to \u2018y\u2019\u201d\u00a0 I used to have an age limit of 40 to have another child, and as that approached I moved the \u201cdeadline\u201d to 42.\u00a0 I will admit to thinking that if there isn\u2019t someone in my life by 45 I will loosen my standards.\u00a0 Now would I actually go through with these random deadlines, I\u2019m honestly not sure.\u00a0 I may have just moved it up, the way I did the baby one.\u00a0 I don\u2019t know.\u00a0 What I do know now, as much as it is painful to think about, as scary as it is to consider, I have to trust in God\u2019s timeline.\u00a0 I can not start taking things into my own hands because of a self-imposed deadline.\u00a0 I need to trust that God is taking care of things in my best interest and that I need to continue to be a Lady of Patience.\u00a0 I am opening myself up to stretching and growing with all of you this week.<\/p>\n
LET’S PRAY<\/strong><\/p>\n Jesus I call on You today, \u00a0Thank You for always having our best interest at heart, even when it is difficult for us. \u00a0I know that our Father loves us and only wants the best for us. \u00a0Please help those of us who struggle with patience. \u00a0Help us trust in You, help us enjoy the journey. \u00a0You know our hurts, take our hearts in Your hands and care<\/p>\n YOUR ASSIGNMENT<\/strong><\/p>\n Please share whether or not your struggle bring patient in your single life. \u00a0If you do, what are the fears and struggles? \u00a0If not, what strategies have you developed to cope? \u00a0Also, do you think age influences patience?<\/p>\n ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<\/p>\nOur Next<\/h2>\n
Single Women’s Online Bible Study<\/h2>\n
“Captivating: Unveiling the Mystery of a Woman’s Soul”<\/h2>\n
by John & Stasi Eldgredge<\/h2>\n
Begins January 6, 2013<\/h2>\n