Dear sister,
I know
what you’ve been going through lately. These words I’m going to give to you are
for a little bit of encouragement because I know you've heard this over and
over again, from me and many others. Let me tell you a recent experience I’ve
had to get my point across.
I’ve
had a teacher the past two semesters who has always caught my attention because
he is so in love with the Lord and he shines God’s light very brightly. I didn’t
know him that well last semester but this semester I had the privilege of
getting to know him, his life, and his testimony better. He always shares his
present and past trials with us. He speaks so often of his love for his wife,
but even more often of his love for God and God’s love for him. He is a man
after God’s own heart. He is truly a God-fearing man. He has shared with us the
story of how he met his wife a few times, but the other day I had the chance to
meet her and hear her tell the story.
They didn’t get married until they
were in their 40’s. She said around the age of 30 she prayed to God, asking him
why she was still single. She told God she didn’t understand, that she had been
doing all the things she was supposed to do but yet still wasn’t married. God
told her, “Because you have been the
one choosing the guys. Wait on me and
I will give you someone worth waiting
for.” He assured her that none of the previous men where suitable for her
anyways. She then made a vow to wait on the Lord and his timing. She started seeking
the Lord and his will for her love life, instead of her own. They both met
during their 40’s and within a year of dating were married. They are now one of
the most God glorifying, in love with God and with each other, couples I’ve
ever seen. They both consider each other such a huge blessing.
When we asked her what one piece of
advice she would want to pass down to us, she told us, “to wait on the Lord.”
She continued to explain how important it was to let God lead your life, especially
your love life. I talked to a few of the girls that where there with me and we
all agreed that if we wait that long to get married and we end up with a great
guy like her husband, then it is so worth it.
I hope this story is as much of an
encouragement to you as it was to me and the others that got to hear it. Now, note from this story, when she made a commitment to wait on God, she didn't immediately get her husband. She didn't get him till about 10, or so, years later. Wait
on the Lord. Pursue God in your time of singleness. Trust in him. Work on
falling in love with him. Remember also, God’s timing is not our timing. We may
think we are ready to fall in love with a guy, but God may not think so. Maybe
because we aren’t mature enough, maybe because God has a few things he wants us
to do during our singleness first, we we’ll never know in this life. I know you've heard things like this multiple times, but sometimes we need reminders, I know I sure needed this because I often try to take my love life into my own hands. I quickly become selfish wondering why all my friends around me are getting married and I'm not, but I have to remember to give it to God and wait on him.
Trust in the Lord and lean not on your own understanding. Seek his face always. I love you and I am praying for
you, my sweet sister in Christ.
Love
in Christ,
Ashley
