Tonight I am sitting in my parents home in Pennsylvania, laying by the fire, spending an evening alone and quiet. I have wanted to get back on here for a while, but time flies when you're having the time of your life... And I can truly say, that's been me.
I just read my last blog and all I can do is tell you that I just cried reading it. God gave me the desires of my heart, just like He promises to do when we give it up to Him. Anyone who knows me knows the heartache and the struggles I've gone through. Many of you have walked me through those times. I wanted to tell you the gift that He gave me, since many of you don't know the details of the love story that normally is told in books... He gave that to me.
It wasn't without tears and tons of hard work that God put me on a mission trip to Africa this summer. There are a few people who can truly attest to the fact that up until the last moment (literally the night before) that I DID NOT want to go. There were silly but very real things that stole my joy and desire to go on the trip leading up to it, and I was not in the least bit looking forward to it. I got on the bus to the airport with the rest of the choir and orchestra and we embarked on a trip across the world. The funny fact that started it off was during our checking in at security, the security guard gave his number to one of my friends on the trip and asked her to give it to me. I turned to my friend and I said, "I'm gonna find me a husband in Africa!".... Little did I know, that would happen.
A few days into our trip, my joy had been restored and I was able to worship and offer my gifts in a way that humbled me and gave me a purpose. Oh how things so easily distract us from serving our purpose of offering our lives. One evening, a few of us decided it was a good idea to go look for monkeys... I invited Christian and his roommate to go along with us girls. We had never talked to each other more than "hey, what's up" ... And yet we have sung in the same church choir for 5 years. We knew of each other but it was not God's timing. To no avail, we returned to the dining hall without having seeing any monkeys, but it was the beginning of the best love story. The 5 of us sat down to dinner and I sat across from Christian and all I could think was "where have you been my whole life"? I will never forget that moment...
From that moment on, we both knew there was something special and God has been writing the story of Christian and I from that moment on. There are so many things that I could write about, but some things are better left unsaid, are special moments we have had, and maybe I'll share them when it's the right time, but for now, I will say that I never saw it coming.
Tonight, I was working on a craft (big surprise, I know) and I was listening to the Christian radio station that mom left on for me. Pastor James McDonald was talking ironically about when you feel like God has forgotten you, when you don't think He remembers the deepest desire of your heart. I could do nothing but sit there and simply say "thank YOU". I cried that out to the Lord for so many years. I didn't know what His plan was. I tried to make my own plans. They failed because I tried to do it alone. This summer, one month before I met the man I will be with for the rest of my life with, I said "I'm done with all of this, Lord" and I meant it. I was done with the heartache, I was done with the trying and failing. I just couldn't bear any of it anymore. I said my final goodbyes to those who I knew I had been holding onto for security (or there lack of) and I gave it up.
I never saw any of it coming because I had stopped looking. Now all of these things made sense that I'd heard for years... You'll find him when you're not looking... When you know, you know.... On and on. But it is true. The Lord heard my every prayer, He saw my every tear, He carried every heartache and He brought the man I had stopped believing existed, right to me. In the middle of Africa.
I am learning more and more about God's grace and His goodness. More than I thought I'd ever be capable of knowing. I love a man deeper than I ever thought or knew was possible. And I am so honored to be on this journey and new chapter of life with him.
You are not alone. You are have not been forgotten. He knows the deepest desire of your heart. His timing.
Thursday, December 18, 2014
Monday, February 24, 2014
What is wrong with this dating scene?
First and foremost, this is not going to be a rant of bitterness and self-wallowing because that is what I hate reading and hearing most among single people. "No one will go on a date with me" .... blah blah blah. Tell it to your mom. No one will date you because all you do is wallow in the fact that no one will date you. That's why no one will date you.
Moving on.
So here is my reality as a single, successful, independent, pretty (am I allowed to say that about myself without having a big head, because I don't say it like that) 32 year old woman. Everyone says, "You'll find him when you're not looking." and that was true. I did find him, and he broke my heart. It happens. I've moved on and done everything in my power to not resent what happened. In my efforts to just not "kissed dating goodbye" (which that's a whole other topic), I joined match. I have had many friends who have had success in meeting their wonderful partners and I thought, well, why not. I don't meet people at my jobs, and I'd rather do that than go to a bar or club or something else that is not me.
The past 6 months:
Date no 1 - Guy INVADED my personal space without being invited... Phone call to sister sobbing my eyes out.
Date no 2 - Last text before our meeting to go out: Him: "Have you ever dated outside your race?" Me: "Yes. Why would that be a problem?" Him: "Take care, no desire to meet you anymore." Me: "So you're a racist?" Him: "No, I wouldn't say that." Me: "Happy Martin Luther King Day!" Him: "Ya, he seemed like a nice guy." Me: "WHAT? Take care, dude." ... Phone call to sister saying "WHAT THE?"
Date no 3: Valentine's day.... stood up.... Text to sister unable to form words because of true heartache. I looked beautiful too.
Date no 4: 32 minutes late. Nice guy, but not looking for the same things. No biggie. Nice guy and good conversation. 32 minutes late. Also, note to people who do online dating... please only use recent photos. Your picture from 5 years ago looks nothing like you now.
When I tell people these stories, they ask if I'm being honest. Yes! That is what is out there. That has been my experience. I go to a church where the singles group is HUGE and by huge I mean HUGE, but there is something SORELY lacking in what I've experienced there. I'm not interested in "hanging out" because you're too nervous to ask me out. I'm not joining a Sunday school class solely, so I can get asked out on a date. I'm not coming to your event because I know you're interested and you won't believe me when I say, I'm not interested. No hurt feelings. Just act normal!
There should be rules as to what non-single people ask or say to singles.
"Why are you not married?"
"You need to _______".
"You shouldn't ______."
"I'm praying that God brings you a mate THIS year" ... I have had many family members and friends create their own timeline for me. I truly appreciate that you care, but how can you create my timeline?
"You should only date divorced people. You need someone who messed up and learned their lesson."
... I get these comments more frequently than you have any idea.
... the list goes on. The prayers go on. The crying texts/ phone calls continue. That's called reality and life. And it's all ok.
But this is what I am learning BIG time. There are some pretty awesome single men and women who are out there, and that is NOT a bad thing. I am learning, that the more I date, or try to date, the more I am learning what I don't want. I am learning that God has planted a seed in my heart to be an awesome single woman... and that's ok. I thank you for your concern and prayer, support when I'm lonely and laughs when it is just not working out. I'm most thankful for no words when there are silent tears and hugs when my heart is breaking. That is all part of life.
I want to live on God's timeline for my life. I have been hearing Him speak more to me than ever before and my job is to listen, stand tall and do what I am being asked to do. That means to live as an example of what it means to be the strong, single lady so that my students can confide in me about their boy problems... because they know I understand. It means standing along side my single friends (men and women) and saying "Don't compromise on what you want and what is the BEST for you!" That means getting outside of my personal bubble of living only for me (which is really easy to do as a single person) and invest in the lives of every single person I come in contact with. I have the time to do it... Give your life away to bring others to life.
I write this with tears streaming down my face. Some of sadness. Some of unbelief. Some of laughter for the days that have been and the days yet to come. It's not always easy being single, but no one has it perfect. However, we all have a calling on our lives and for right now, mine is to be single lady. And I'm thankful. Only God knows the deepest desires of my heart and only He can make it happen.
Moving on.
So here is my reality as a single, successful, independent, pretty (am I allowed to say that about myself without having a big head, because I don't say it like that) 32 year old woman. Everyone says, "You'll find him when you're not looking." and that was true. I did find him, and he broke my heart. It happens. I've moved on and done everything in my power to not resent what happened. In my efforts to just not "kissed dating goodbye" (which that's a whole other topic), I joined match. I have had many friends who have had success in meeting their wonderful partners and I thought, well, why not. I don't meet people at my jobs, and I'd rather do that than go to a bar or club or something else that is not me.
The past 6 months:
Date no 1 - Guy INVADED my personal space without being invited... Phone call to sister sobbing my eyes out.
Date no 2 - Last text before our meeting to go out: Him: "Have you ever dated outside your race?" Me: "Yes. Why would that be a problem?" Him: "Take care, no desire to meet you anymore." Me: "So you're a racist?" Him: "No, I wouldn't say that." Me: "Happy Martin Luther King Day!" Him: "Ya, he seemed like a nice guy." Me: "WHAT? Take care, dude." ... Phone call to sister saying "WHAT THE?"
Date no 3: Valentine's day.... stood up.... Text to sister unable to form words because of true heartache. I looked beautiful too.
Date no 4: 32 minutes late. Nice guy, but not looking for the same things. No biggie. Nice guy and good conversation. 32 minutes late. Also, note to people who do online dating... please only use recent photos. Your picture from 5 years ago looks nothing like you now.
When I tell people these stories, they ask if I'm being honest. Yes! That is what is out there. That has been my experience. I go to a church where the singles group is HUGE and by huge I mean HUGE, but there is something SORELY lacking in what I've experienced there. I'm not interested in "hanging out" because you're too nervous to ask me out. I'm not joining a Sunday school class solely, so I can get asked out on a date. I'm not coming to your event because I know you're interested and you won't believe me when I say, I'm not interested. No hurt feelings. Just act normal!
There should be rules as to what non-single people ask or say to singles.
"Why are you not married?"
"You need to _______".
"You shouldn't ______."
"I'm praying that God brings you a mate THIS year" ... I have had many family members and friends create their own timeline for me. I truly appreciate that you care, but how can you create my timeline?
"You should only date divorced people. You need someone who messed up and learned their lesson."
... I get these comments more frequently than you have any idea.
... the list goes on. The prayers go on. The crying texts/ phone calls continue. That's called reality and life. And it's all ok.
But this is what I am learning BIG time. There are some pretty awesome single men and women who are out there, and that is NOT a bad thing. I am learning, that the more I date, or try to date, the more I am learning what I don't want. I am learning that God has planted a seed in my heart to be an awesome single woman... and that's ok. I thank you for your concern and prayer, support when I'm lonely and laughs when it is just not working out. I'm most thankful for no words when there are silent tears and hugs when my heart is breaking. That is all part of life.
I want to live on God's timeline for my life. I have been hearing Him speak more to me than ever before and my job is to listen, stand tall and do what I am being asked to do. That means to live as an example of what it means to be the strong, single lady so that my students can confide in me about their boy problems... because they know I understand. It means standing along side my single friends (men and women) and saying "Don't compromise on what you want and what is the BEST for you!" That means getting outside of my personal bubble of living only for me (which is really easy to do as a single person) and invest in the lives of every single person I come in contact with. I have the time to do it... Give your life away to bring others to life.
I write this with tears streaming down my face. Some of sadness. Some of unbelief. Some of laughter for the days that have been and the days yet to come. It's not always easy being single, but no one has it perfect. However, we all have a calling on our lives and for right now, mine is to be single lady. And I'm thankful. Only God knows the deepest desires of my heart and only He can make it happen.
Tuesday, January 21, 2014
I give up. Can't do it anymore. Don't want to do it anymore. I just want to not care anymore. Done.
That's where I was when I woke up this morning. When's the last time you were there? I'm telling you, if I had 1/4 of a penny for every time I wanted to not have to care about my weight, think about what I was eating, figure out how to quiet the voice in my head that tells me I'll never change and I'd be better off just quitting fighting the battle that rages, I'd be RICH! Filthy rich.
Then something comes along just when you need it to, to say...no no no, you're not done. And that would be God. Whether you believe He exists or not, I'm telling you, He is alive and well and working in me. Today, I was 'over it' in this battle and probably would have embarked on an epic binge of all of my favorite foods to 'reward' myself with coming to this conclusion. But God placed 2 people in my lap today, unsolicited, that both reached out to me because of their eating struggles. One who has struggled with anorexia for years and years, and the other who re-joined Weight Watchers and needed some food ideas.
I'm not exaggerating when I tell you, I sit on the opposite side of that and am saying in my heart "if you only knew how much I struggled with this still, you'd not be talking with me about it." On the other hand, if I wasn't open and honest about it, you wouldn't know that I need help just as much as you do.
We all have struggles. We all have triumphs. We all have heartaches. We all have fits of pure joy. I don't begin to understand any of it, but I understand myself enough to know that I will never wear a mask about this. I'll fight it until the day I die, but as I learned and was reminded tonight in bible study, I have been given breath because God DELIGHTS to give it to me. When Beth said that, I nearly lost my marbles. God DELIGHTS in giving me life? I don't deserve that. I fail at life ALL the time. I fail! Sometimes I even want to fail. Am I allowed to say that?
More than that, I WANT TO LIVE. I don't ever want to be the person known as:
1. She wallowed all the time because she was single.
2. She is married to the most wonderful person, but just wanted to have a baby.
3. She has a beautiful baby, but wanted one more.
4. Fill in the blank with something that is your deepest desire.
We live in a world of comparison. Wanting more than we have and even deserve. There are times when I think it's ok to cry about these things, but it's more important to be thankful for the true gifts that we have. I don't need to fail or compare my life to others or need for anything else than being in the will of the One who created me and can truly be the only one to fill that void at all. I may be preaching to the choir, but I needed to hear these things tonight. I have MUCH to be thankful for.
I don't know what God is doing in my life. God is up to something and He's stirring the direction in my life. All I can do is to go where I'm supposed to because something's coming around the bend....
Then something comes along just when you need it to, to say...no no no, you're not done. And that would be God. Whether you believe He exists or not, I'm telling you, He is alive and well and working in me. Today, I was 'over it' in this battle and probably would have embarked on an epic binge of all of my favorite foods to 'reward' myself with coming to this conclusion. But God placed 2 people in my lap today, unsolicited, that both reached out to me because of their eating struggles. One who has struggled with anorexia for years and years, and the other who re-joined Weight Watchers and needed some food ideas.
I'm not exaggerating when I tell you, I sit on the opposite side of that and am saying in my heart "if you only knew how much I struggled with this still, you'd not be talking with me about it." On the other hand, if I wasn't open and honest about it, you wouldn't know that I need help just as much as you do.
We all have struggles. We all have triumphs. We all have heartaches. We all have fits of pure joy. I don't begin to understand any of it, but I understand myself enough to know that I will never wear a mask about this. I'll fight it until the day I die, but as I learned and was reminded tonight in bible study, I have been given breath because God DELIGHTS to give it to me. When Beth said that, I nearly lost my marbles. God DELIGHTS in giving me life? I don't deserve that. I fail at life ALL the time. I fail! Sometimes I even want to fail. Am I allowed to say that?
More than that, I WANT TO LIVE. I don't ever want to be the person known as:
1. She wallowed all the time because she was single.
2. She is married to the most wonderful person, but just wanted to have a baby.
3. She has a beautiful baby, but wanted one more.
4. Fill in the blank with something that is your deepest desire.
We live in a world of comparison. Wanting more than we have and even deserve. There are times when I think it's ok to cry about these things, but it's more important to be thankful for the true gifts that we have. I don't need to fail or compare my life to others or need for anything else than being in the will of the One who created me and can truly be the only one to fill that void at all. I may be preaching to the choir, but I needed to hear these things tonight. I have MUCH to be thankful for.
I don't know what God is doing in my life. God is up to something and He's stirring the direction in my life. All I can do is to go where I'm supposed to because something's coming around the bend....
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