by admin | Mar 18, 2013
In April, I will have been divorced for 5 years. Before that I was married for 5 years. I say that as a reference to you before you read any further. I don’t claim to know much of anything about having a successful relationship or tips on how to make a marriage work. However, as I said, I have lived half my adult life married and the other half single. So I have perspective on both. I’ve reached through the fence a few different times, thinking the grass was greener and turns out it’s not.
Here are my thoughts on this dilemma to us single folks….
Whether you’ve been married before or not….whether you are in a “serious” relationship or not, God does care about you. As much as we may think this entire world is created for those happily married folks prancing around holding hands and making-out in front of us, God actually did create this world for single people too.
I know, I know. Married people seem to have all the perks. They’ve got the built in cuddle buddy, the partner to go to the movies with, the encourager waiting for them at home after a tough day and the cook when you’re broke and hungry (not to mention the lover).
But here is the reality from where I see it, and I am not saying this is good or bad, just that it seems to be the reality. Most married people, if they were honest, would say they often think about what life would be like if they were single. They have the same “grass is always greener” thoughts about being single that you have on being married.
Single people want to be married and married folks want to be single.
So how do we overcome this longing we feel, the hurt it carries with it and the jealously that teems inside?
For me it comes down to two things. Gratitude and Contentment. Finding one, if not both of these characteristics in every aspect of our life as a “single” person, can give you a freedom and purpose for this season of your life.
Simple in theory. Excruciatingly difficulty to dwell on in reality. But here are some verses I’ve found that may help you really grab on to the truth that God does have a plan for this single season you have found yourself in.
Not that I speak from want; for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity. Philippians 4:11-12
“Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” Psalm 46:10
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5-6
A tranquil heart is life to the body, But passion is rottenness to the bones. Proverbs 14:30
So be content with who you are, and don’t put on airs. God’s strong hand is on you, He’ll promote you at the right time. 1 Peter 5:6-7
If they obey and serve him, they will spend the rest of their days in prosperity and their years in contentment. Job 36:11
But godliness with contentment is great gain. Psalm 68:3
Being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, “I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you,” Hebrews 13:5
Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9
Hold on to these verses on the days where all you want is to have the “perfect” marriage and family that your neighbor has or when you are at the next wedding longing to know when that day will come for you. Grab on to some gratitude and thank God that you have the freedom that being single provides for you today. I can assure you that if you are following God’s will for your life, the freedom you have been given is specifically in place for you to accomplish something great, to learn something new about life, to grow up, to mature in your decision making, to gain more perspective or maybe to discover something you never knew about yourself.
Look, I know being single sucks. I get it. Trust me, I really do. But I can tell you with 100% confidence that I am single right now for a reason. God is not surprised by it and He will not let it go to waste. But I have to trust Him; my faith at times has to exponentially grow. As I do this and walk through season after season without a partner I become more and more content that God is in charge and I am not. And that feels good.
I’ve had my stint running my life and I didn’t do so well. So for now, I am striving for contentment and gratitude in my singleness. Purposely taking action to control my contentment, live in gratitude and preparing myself for the next season of life. One I hope comes with a smoking hot wife….
Read the married version of this post here.
by Jaci Greggs | Feb 27, 2013
Seth MacFarlane’s turn as Oscar host Sunday night was a risky experiment. MacFarlane’s vulgar television and movie productions are not everyone’s taste, myself included. As much as I love movies, I was almost tempted to opt out of watching the Oscars this year because he was hosting.
However, keeping with tradition, I hosted an Oscar party and tuned in anyway. And I’m glad I did. I wound up enjoying (most) of the event, especially the musical performances. And I think he did a much better job than James Franco did a couple of years back.
I was open to giving MacFarlane a chance because of a story about a personal encounter I had once heard.
A couple of years ago, MacFarlane was a guest on HBO’s “Real Time with Bill Maher.” Also on the program that evening was conservative media mogul Andrew Breitbart. They were coming on the show to present opposing views on various political and pop culture issues. After the show, Breitbart approached MacFarlane.
“I’m glad you didn’t lay into me,” Breitbart told the animation mogul. “My son is a huge fan of ‘Family Guy,’ and he would have sided with you.”
“Where’s your son now?” MacFarlane asked.
Andrew said that he was sleeping over at a friend’s house.
“Call him,” said MacFarlane. (see source here)
MacFarlane then spent 10 minutes on the phone with the youngster imitating all the boy’s favorite characters and creating a very special memory. Regardless of the fact that I don’t consider “Family Guy” appropriate viewing for children, for MacFarlane to go out of his way to do something nice for the child of someone he had just met, someone he met precisely because they are fundamentally opposed ideologically, speaks well of him as an individual.
MacFarlane is no Christian, but displayed genuine kindness to someone he was moments earlier passionately opposing on national television. Can I say I am as gracious to those I have significant disagreements with?
Photo by s_bukley / Shutterstock.com
by Jeremy Davis | Feb 14, 2013
Here we are in the month of love and if you have not already bought flowers or chocolates for your Valentine… you should quit reading now and go buy some! Otherwise, read on.
During the month of February there is a lot of emphasis on love. This Valentine’s Day might be a good time to think about the love we should have for those around us who have not come to know Jesus Christ and His redemptive work on the cross, not just our sweethearts back home. Most of us have friends or family members who need Jesus and the Gospel and there is nothing more loving than sharing the truth with them.
I am sure most of us have read the story of the paralytic man that Jesus healed. This may seem like an odd story to relate to Valentine’s Day, but it is a perfect example of love.
And when [Jesus] returned to Capernaum after some days, it was reported that He was at home. And many were gathered together, so that there was no more room, not even at the door. And He was preaching the word to them. And they came, bringing to Him a paralytic carried by four men. And when they could not get near Him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above Him, and when they had made an opening, they let down the bed on which the paralytic lay. And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”Mark 2:1-5 (ESV)
Imagine going to your pastor’s house to hear him preach and seeing four guys drag a paralyzed man up onto the roof. They begin to pull shingles off and remove boards until they put a big hole in the roof of your pastor’s house. I know I would probably think these guys were nuts. Think about the comments these men would have heard as they tried to help their friend. You know people must have laughed at them. It’s not like you can nonchalantly drag a paralyzed guy onto the roof while a big crowd of people are standing there watching. I’m sure it was a sight to see.
But these men knew one thing; their friend was crippled and Jesus could heal him. Unlike most of us, these men were willing to do whatever it took to get their friend before Christ Jesus. Jesus recognized that these men had faith and He blessed them for that. Is this the same kind of love we have for those people in our lives that are lost?
Take some time this month to do the most loving this you can possibly do, share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with the lost.
by Jennifer Griffin | Feb 11, 2013
I’m not an overly wordy girl. I tend to show my feelings through my actions rather than using words. So, although I purposely work to verbally tell my family that I love them, it comes much more naturally for me to do things to show them my love. And for me, sometimes that manifests itself through serving them yummy food and creating a comfortable, loving environment in our home.
Valentine’s Day is just around the corner. I don’t typically go all-out decorating for this holiday, but I did make a quick banner for my entry to create a festive vignette. Sometimes just a touch to give a nod to the season is enough.
Using some left-over playing cards, I pulled out all of the hearts. Then, I cut a length of jute twine (or you could use any ribbon on hand) and used mini-clothespins to attach the cards to the string.
Lastly, I cut out letters and glued them to patterned scrapbook paper for a festive message. I attached these to the string also and hung the pennant-style banner in my entry. I just used some painters tape tucked behind my mirror to secure the banner.
Click here to find a few other easy ideas from other blogs that I plan to incorporate through the day to show my family that I love them.
What about you? How do you show love to your family?
by Ashley Haupt | Feb 10, 2013
Before we were married, I heard the illustration that marriage is like a triangle and the closer you each get to God, the closer you will grow toward each other.
And I liked that. Neat and tidy and hopeful. But after seven years, I’m not sure marriage follows neat little formulas.
Now I think it’s a little more like a kite with two strings. And we’re each holding one and God is our wind; it wouldn’t even stay up in the air without him. But still we wrestle.
We give it too much slack, that marriage kite, and it soars away too far, each of us busily managing our own isolated strings. No one tames the wind or the Holy Spirit and we start to snap, crackle, and pop under the strain of that distance we’ve allowed.
So we have to draw it back in, winding our way back to each other and a safer place. And sometimes, like last week, we’re just mad and we jerk angrily at the slack, wrestling words and folly.
But we don’t let go, and God and the wind and Holy Spirit keep blowing, and it’s a triangle after all.
So we keep on flying that kite.
And it’s beautiful.
