The Lord has brought me a long way in my singleness. My 20’s consisted of me not understanding contentment or how to do singleness well (at least from my perspective). My 30’s have been great! I still desire a committed, God honoring marriage, but greatly love the life He has given me.
I’ve never dated just for the sake of dating. It’s always been with the intention of marriage. I’m thankful for each of the relationships that the Lord has allowed me to walk through. As I entered my mid 30’s, I realized that meeting God honoring single men was becoming more difficult.
Here’s the conundrum I’ve been discussing with my family. Where are the lines between trusting the Lord in His timing, being/appearing desperate, and utilizing the tools and people He’s placed around me? I know…I said conundrum. 🙂
As I sit and evaluate my heart and mind in regards to this, I don’t feel desperate and I think my family would say the same. I fully trust God with His timing and way of introducing my next season of life. He’s proven over and over again that He is wise, loving, and perfect in His timing. So then comes the questions, “What part do I play in all of this?”
Often times I’ll hear people say, “Put yourself out there.” What exactly does that mean? Put myself where? I’m involved at church and on the college campus where I work. I’ve never said no to friends introducing me to someone or even setting up a blind date. I’ve even done Christian Mingle for about a month several years ago (wasn’t my cup of tea back then).
So here’s what I know right now. 1) I live in a small town of about 10,000 people. 2) I regularly get to meet a lot of great people, just very, very few single people around my age. 3) I live about an hour away from a large city, but am not often hanging out there as I have a full life where I’m at. 4) The number of friends introducing me to strong Godly men are few and far between.
So then comes my question of do I utilize people and tools around me to create situations of introduction (Christian Mingle, match-maker, send a message to friends asking them to think of someone to introduce me to, etc.)? Is that a wise use of my resources for the situation I’m in? Or is that me trying to force something? I truly believe that the Lord can introduce me to anyone at anytime. But is He asking me to step out?
In the Old Testament, Rehab had to hang a red cord out her window. Moses, with the help of two friends, had to hold up his arms during battle. David had to fight Goliath.
But then there are verses such as Exodus 14:14, “The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.” Or 1 Samuel 12:16, “Now then, stand still and see this great thing the Lord is about to do before your eyes!”
Thus back to my conundrum. 🙂 I actually don’t know the answer to this one yet. Just felt the desire to share what’s rolling around in my head today. So feel free to share any insights that you might have. Plus, I’d love you to join me in praying for wisdom. I want to honor the Lord in my waiting or my doing!
Adventures of a Single Pretzel 