by Annie Corser | Feb 12, 2014
I read this post this weekend called What Not To Tell Single Girls (And some things you should do). There are six quotes the writer deems as offensive to single women: 1. “I know the Lord has someone so special for you.” 2. “You’re just so great; guys are just intimidated by you (or your [some quality]).” 3. “The Lord’s just preparing both of you.” 4. “Oh, he’ll come just when you least expect it.” 5. “Enjoy this season of singleness. You have so much freedom to just adventure and find out about who you are.” 6.”Enjoy this season of singleness. It is such a special time with the Lord.”
To be honest, this post made me quite upset, I don’t use all of these statements, but a lot of them do describe how I walked through singleness to where I am now. I think the writer is attacking what she sees as cliché, but I think she left out the wisdom behind those statements.
In response, I’ve come up with my own list of things that I think single ladies need to also keep in mind when discussing those who are in a different season of their life.
1. Do not say ‘they don’t know what I am going through.’ I know how easy it is to fall into the trap of thinking that you are the only one who knows what it is like to be single. I do think you are the only one who knows how you personally feel, but you cannot forget that every woman has experienced a season of singleness. Just because you are the same age as a married woman that does not mean that you two are walking the same road in life, and comparing yourself to those girls is where discontentment comes from. If a single Christian woman cannot take advice from another non-single Christian woman without breaking down into tears, her actions would show that her focus and goal in life is not to have a stronger relationship with Christ and rely on Him, but it is to be in a relationship for the sake of being in a relationship.
2. Do not assume that they are living a fairy tale life. Singleness is hard at times, I get that, and I’ve been there. But I also know that just like there are nights where you lay awake crying because you’re single, I have had nights crying because of the stress and trials that being in a relationship causes. My man and I have good days and we have bad days, we have days where we encourage one another, and we have days where we fail to encourage one another; we have days when we remember to be selfless, and we have days where we are completely consumed with our needs, desires and wants. Relationships are hard. It is two incredibly broken people coming together to try to do life together, but let me assure you: two broken people do not come together to make two whole people. Only God can make us whole.
3. Do not ask for advice and then ignore it because it does not match with what you wanted to hear. For this, I want to reference one of the points the writer made in her article:
“Oh, he’ll come just when you least expect it.” – For me, this is something that rings true. It’s not about forgetting that you desire to be with someone; it is about being 100 percent content with where God has placed you, in this instance, in being single. It does not mean that you will only have to be content for one day; it could be more than one year. But I know that for me, I was pursuing God, and my man was pursuing God, and that is how me met. We did not meet by pursuing each other. God brought us together because we were whole heartedly pursuing Him alone. Until both you and the man God has prepared for you are seeking Him alone, you will be disappointed in your relationship because you will try to find your contentment in the man and not in God. I agree that the desire to marry should not be suppressed. I love the way my best friend described that feeling. She said it was the way God gave her a peace when she was single. Why? Because she knew that desire was given by God and that He had a man for her. Living life content in Christ is not about ignoring the feeling of desire for a man; it is about overcoming the feeling of loneliness the devil poisons single women with.
4. Do not look for encouragement outside of God. I love to encourage and to give compliments. But I do not want to be a crutch for any of my single lady friends. I am not perfect, and I cannot outdo God. He has provided us with everything we need, and He is willing to love on His Bride. If I were to always look to my spouse for encouragement, I would not be encouraged as much as the writer indicates. Yes, my man works hard to encourage me and push me to reach my dreams, but I cannot be reliant on him to encourage me daily, because there are some days that I don’t get as much as I think I need. Instead, I need to find my encouragement in God alone and that is what I want for my single friends. Yes, God can use people to affirm what He has told you, but faith is not about seeking others first, God second. Faith is about trusting God is up to something you can’t see and giving Him all your worries, fears and heartache.
5. Prayer and worshiping the Father are powerful. The writer concludes with telling her married readers to pray for and with those who come to them struggling with singleness. I agree whole-heartedly that this should be our response. To meet with God and acknowledge that woman has a plan and purpose for that season in her life. And worship Him. God is in control and knows what is best for His daughter and His Bride. But I also want to say that single women need to be able to pray for their non-single friends without bitterness about where they are in their life. Relationships on this earth will fade, but a relationship with the Father lasts forever. How beautiful is that?
by Annie Corser | Jan 15, 2014
As of Jan. 14, there was a ruling by a federal judge that an Oklahoma law was unconstitutional. Most of you know exactly what I am talking about. Most of the headlines about the event say something like, “Federal judge strikes down Oklahoma ban on same-sex marriage.”
Today, as I scan my Twitter and Facebook, I see many posts saying, “finally!” or a comment bashing “conservatives” or something about “Oklahoma pride” and “fairness and dignity.”
The issue reminds me of a game of tug-of-war. You have two sides, both pulling on the same rope. The winner is determined by who can get the majority of the rope on their side. The winning side wins as a result of one or more of a few things: 1) they have more people on their side of the rope 2) they have bigger, stronger people pulling for their team 3) they wear the other side down enough for them to give in.
I see this taking place in the debate of homosexuality, but the biggest barrier I see is the difference on how individuals perceive the homosexual issue based on their beliefs. Let me explain.
On the one hand, there are people, I’ll call them Bible-believers, who believe the Bible is God-inspired and true. They weigh and test everything based on what the Bible teaches. Generally speaking, this group of people firmly believe that practicing homosexuality is sinful and wrong. They believe that this sin should not be encouraged, so as to teach what they believe the Bible says and keep others from stumbling into the sin. They do not believe that they are better than their neighbor, but, similarly, they do not believe they can take a stance of toleration. True Bible-believers desire to live a life like Christ, and His example exposed the darkness in others (with love) so that they would see their need for a Savior.
On the other hand, there are those who I’ll call nonBible-believers. This side also includes many influential people who are persuaded because they want to be on the “winning” side. There are some who might know what the Bible says, and they might follow some of the Bible’s teachings, but they don’t believe it is entirely God-inspired or true. And therein lies the conflict, the separation.
The government sees homosexuality as an equality issue and wants to bring justice to what it sees as unjust in the ban on homosexual marriages and lifestyles.
The church, a body of Bible-believers, sees homosexuality as a sin issue. Therefore, no legislation, no equality speech will sway them to see homosexuality as right in the sight of God.
Sin is sin. It separates us from God, but it also causes friction between people. This is seen in Gal. 5:17 —
“For the flesh desires what is against the Spirit, and the Spirit desires what is against the flesh; these are opposed to each other, so that you don’t do what you want.” (HCSB)
The ‘tugging’ is not going away. The conflict is growing because we don’t know how to address the war. I challenge you to be the beginning of the solution.
by Annie Corser | Dec 6, 2013
I recently read a post that led me to this idea about dealing with temptations and sin. I have seen the mindset of many in the upcoming generation that want a “get out of sin free card.”
The American mindset seems to be that your sin can define who you are, and that is okay. And I suppose if you want to be known by your sin, then you can live in that mindset. Instead of dealing with their temptations and facing their problems, they would rather God “remove the temptation from them.” And when God doesn’t do that for them, they give in and decide He accepts their sin. I see this with many common sins in our world today. The world preaches acceptance and allowing your sin to define you, but that’s not what the Bible teaches.
Notice in Genesis, God allowed Adam and Eve to be tempted, and He knew their temptation would lead to sin. He created a perfect world and give rules for their protection, but in breaking His rules, they committed sin against God. Their punishment was being removed from His presence and leaving the garden.
When Jesus was on the earth, He was not free of temptation. We see this in Matthew 4:1-11, when Jesus is led into the wilderness to be TESTED (NIV); the Holman says TEMPTED. If God allowed Jesus to be tempted, tested and tried, and Jesus prevailed, why should we expect special favor?
For a Christian, the point of temptation is not to give way to sin, but it is to strengthen your faith, strengthen your ability to rely on God, strengthen your resistance.
Think about it this way:
Alcoholics are tempted to drink anytime they see a menu in a restaurant.
Pornography addicts are tempted to click on a site anytime they use the Internet.
The Christian mindset needs to be: It’s not about giving into the temptation; it’s about the struggle and strengthening of your faith. I don’t want to be defined by my sins and failures. I want to be defined by the God who gives me the strength to flee temptation when it arises.
You’ve been given the strength you need for today through Christ. Trust that what God has allowed you to struggle with. He will provide a way for you to overcome it every time you are tempted.
by Annie Corser | Nov 21, 2013
I’ve been reading through Revelation recently — slowly, because I am trying to understand all the symbolism and details described within the text. However, the reason for reading through Revelation might not be the reason you would expect.
It’s to see Jesus.
In Revelation, John not only describes the Savior’s return, but he most importantly describes the Savior. I think it is not so much for His followers to recognize Him when He returns, we will know it is Him, but I think it is to show unbelievers who He is. They will have no reason to doubt, although some still will, that Jesus is God’s Son.
Within the first few chapters of Revelation, this is the picture of Christ we see:
- “One like the Son of Man, dressed in a long robe and with a gold sash wrapped around His chest. His head and hair were white like wool—white as snow—and His eyes like a fiery flame. His feet were like fine bronze as it is fired in a furnace, and His voice like the sound of cascadingwaters.” Revelation 1:13-15
- “The One who has the sharp, double-edged sword…” Revelation 2:12
- “The Son of God, the One whose eyes are like a fiery flame and whose feet are like fine bronze” Revelation 2:18
I may not be able to understand the vision of Christ as John saw Him, but I do know that Jesus is beautiful and surrounded by glory.
Below is one of my favorite mash-up songs that reveals the beauty of Christ. I hope you take the time to listen and that it blesses your day. (If you can’t listen to the whole song, start at 11:15 to hear the final song).
My hope is that as you search for wisdom through the Scriptures, you also pause to think upon Christ’s beauty.
http://youtu.be/EQQMG93kxqM
Songs:
*Your Faithfulness by Jon Thurlow
*Strong Love by Jon Thurlow
*Jesus You’re Beautiful by Jon Thurlow
by Annie Corser | Nov 12, 2013
For those who have watched the news within the past week, it is likely that you heard about the typhoon heading to the Philippines. The death toll numbers are increasing ; the devastation is shocking, and it seems as if hope has been shaken.
Haiyan, as the typhoon was named, became the 13th typhoon of the western Pacific season on Nov.5. Experts even predicted that the typhoon would strengthen before making landfall. And it did.
CNN reported that Haiyan was “3.5 times more forceful than Hurricane Katrina.” You’ve seen images of the physical destruction and heard reports that aid is needed.
I am currently reading through Revelation, and somehow, I am drawn to a connection between the storm and Revelation. I’m not talking about the end times, but about the warnings given.
Haiyan was declared a severe storm two days before it hit the Philippines. Those who were not able to leave or evacuate could not escape the affects of the storm.
Likewise, there are clear warnings given in Revelation. There will be a Great Judgment Day for nonbelievers. All who have not escaped death through the blood of Jesus will not be able to avoid judgment and condemnation. There will be no more chances for hope.
As your heart breaks for the images that fill your TV screen and remind you to be grateful for what you have now, remember what is foretold to come. May the images of the current destruction move you to action for the eternal deaths that are to come. May you be an ambassador for Christ so that you provide each person you meet an opportunity to accept the blood of the One, True Lamb.
The Great White Throne Judgment:
11 Then I saw a great white throne and One seated on it. Earth and heaven fled from His presence, and no place was found for them. 12 I also saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life, and the dead were judged according to their works by what was written in the books.
13 Then the sea gave up its dead, and Death and Hades gave up their dead; all were judged according to their works. 14 Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. 15 And anyone not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.