To all the amazing single or childless Christian women in my life:
You know who you are.
I love you and want to encourage you.
Keep on trusting in Him who gave His life for you with an undying, passionate love.
He has you just where He intends you to be.
He loves you perfectly–so much that He bought you with His own precious blood.
He chose you for Him.
I had never wanted to know what it was to have a broken heart. I had tried to do things differently from most of the world, to protect myself and my heart from needless pain. But here I was, and it was real.
When I saw that there was someone else that made him smile, the realization that I didn’t light up his world brought the painful truth home. I knew, then, that I could never make him happy the way that I wanted to, the way that it should have been. Knowing that perhaps “he and I, together” wasn’t meant to be after all weighed on my heart like so many heavy bricks, crushing out the spark of joy that once had lit up my world.
I wonder what God would do if the young women of this generation got down on their knees and prayed that faith in Jesus would be the “one thing” that defines their future husbands – and thus the young men of this generation?!
I don’t know how old I was when I prayed for him first – all I can remember is praying for him “all my life”. I thought I’d share some of the things I’ve covered in my prayers in the hope that, if you don’t already pray for him, you’re inspired to pray for “him who is to be your husband”.
Praying for our future husbands is a wonderful way to follow the example of the woman in Proverbs 31:12 and do our future husbands “good and not evil all the days of our lives.” But how do we do that in reality? How do we make it practical? It can be daunting! We don’t know the guy’s name, his age, his family, church, education and work situation – we don’t even know if he’s a Christian yet! Here are some ideas …
We were apart for four years. We were interested in each other for about a year of that. We were in a relationship for nine months of that. The closest we ever were was five hours’ drive from each other; the furthest we were apart during this time was the three months I was in Africa 5,500 miles away from David!
I am not an expert on spending time apart from the person you know is your other half. Honestly, I can be quite a piner! I have to say, however, that being apart simply makes time spent together that much sweeter – and that lasts long into being married. Take joy in all aspects of your life: God is weaving them all together for good. Pursue holiness in your relationship, whether together or apart, for that is what matters. Take pictures for each other to catch a glimpse of your day; email each other recordings of your voices, sharing some favorite thoughts or verses to listen to over and over again. Be creative in your communication. Start habits in how you communicate, and seek to bless each other in a way that will last for years.
It was an early-morning double date with my husband’s cousin and her fiance, whom we’d just met and wanted to get to know better. Coffees and Chai tea in hand, we found a nook with two couches, and facing each other, we couples settled in for a long chat in our local coffee shop early last summer. We swapped stories of siblings, our dad’s occupations, and how we met.
Then the question came from the soon-to-be-groom: “Do you have any marriage advice for us?”
I came home yesterday after six days of friendship, sunshine, below-zero temperatures, laughter, fun, trying new things, and experiencing the grace of God in new and unexpected ways.
I’m always a little sad on days like today. Just me, myself, and I at home feels quiet and lonely…
“Where there’s a wave, there’s a curl,” says Lorraine Massey. And she should know. Not only did she start a group of hair salons that cater to curly heads, but she was the author of the original Curly Girl handbook that began the “curly revolution” in our nation—and here at YLCF!
Over 65% of women have naturally curly or wavy hair. But not all of them know how to care for it…
