Waiting for The Right Mate

People are posting all over the Internet and all over the media “advertising” and “posting” for the guy or girl of their dreams. There are dating sites to “find the right one” and Christianmigle.com says, “Find God’s match for you. “ Firstly, if that was a true Christian site, they would know that God wants to lead us to our “soul mate”. We aren’t to jump the gun. Patience is a virtue. I’m always hearing people say things like, “What am I doing wrong,” or, “I just want to be in a relationship right now because I feel lonely.” I’ve even heard people say things like, “But everyone else has a boyfriend or girlfriend.”

I once suffered from trying to rush to find that “perfect” guy. Now, the story is turned around from adults telling me to have patience to me helping people in these situations. Through talking with various people in many different situations about this, I have counseled people with this:

            First of all, God loves you and made you special. He wouldn’t want you to be with someone who isn’t as special as you are. God made a man to love a woman.

            The way I see it, God wants a man to love you as close to the way He does as possible. The relationship mirrors the relationship Christ has to His people, His Bride. The Bride is to love Christ wholeheartedly, trust Him, honor Him, serve Him selflessly and respect Him. Christ loves his Bride unconditionally and is selfless in His endeavors. He protects, strengthens and carries His Bride through the troubling times. Wouldn’t any girl LOVE to have a man like that?

            Granted, both guys and girls are all flawed because we all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, so we will not be perfect (Romans 3:23). But we can strive to embody The Bride (for girls) or Christ (for guys) to show the world that Christ lives in you and show everyone that You LOVE Christ!

“In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they

may see your good deeds and praise your Father in Heaven.”

-Matthew 5:16

“But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners,

Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example

for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life.”

-1 Timothy 1:16

            God is like a GPS for your life (while you’re here on earth), Jesus is your passenger, The Holy Spirit is your helper and you are the driver.

            God has created the perfect mate for you. He can see where you are, Point A, and where this man or woman is who He has created for you, Point B. Jesus talks to you along the way, God shows you the next step you must take, and the Holy Spirit helps urge you along the way and lights up the road ahead. If you follow their direction and God’s will, you will surely be led to that special person God has for you. But you must be patient and you must guard your heart. Not everything will be perfect; most people don’t follow God’s every command that He has for them and sometimes they don’t hear Him. But in the end, things will work out to God’s plan.

“In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to

the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will,…”

-Ephesians 1:11

            Just like with a GPS, you are shown or told the steps you must take, but it doesn’t tell you there’s a pothole one mile down the road, when your tire will go flat, or if you get backed up in traffic. There’s one other element: the gasoline for your care. That gas is faith in Him. Faith that He will get you through it. If you give up, then you will eventually just stop. You have to keep believing in Him.

If you feel alone, DON’T.

            Jesus is always with you, even when you don’t register it with your senses. He is. Don’t give up on Him, because He has never given up on you. You have the support of your friends and family, and even coworkers.

Happiness is a state of mind. Joy comes from above. Trust me, I know the difference; I’ve struggled with this. You can take a negative thing and turn it into a positive one.  

            If you tend to be a pessimistic person, find something to be happy about, even if your day is terrible. Everyone needs to be reminded that we are blessed. Did you slept on a mattress with a blanket? Do you have clothes to put on today? Did you have clean, running water this morning and food for the day? Maybe you skipped a meal but you didn’t have to suffer hunger for long. Did you wake up this morning? Did you breathe within the past minute? Do you have someone who loves you? Those are just examples of many things that you can be happy about. If you want true joy, ask God to grant it to you.

            But I know what you are thinking, “Why is my heart broken? Doesn’t God care?” Of course he cares! He holds every tear you ever cried. He hurts when you hurt. He loves you. If you feel that you cannot stand the pain, to the point where you don’t want to crawl out of bed, you just want to curl up in a ball and hide from the world, cling to Him! You may not see it at the moment, but this pain that you are feeling right now will make you stronger. Think of it as one of life’s “potholes.” When you are suffering, think of how God’s power and grace is strengthened through our weakness.

“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is  made perfect in weakness.”

-2 Corinthians 12:9

            I hear these young teenagers crying about how they don’t have a man and it’s the end of their life. I feel so sorry for these girls; they are so young and have a whole life ahead of them but they’re letting the thoughts of boyfriends consume them. I myself was once there.

NEVER compromise your values for anyone, it doesn’t matter how  “amazingly perfect” they seem.

            If they were so “perfect,” as you say, would he or she be putting you in a situation you were uncomfortable with? Sit yourself down and write down your morals. Sometimes just doing this can help you. Write out what you will do and refuse to do. Once you have “set the line” you refuse to cross, stick to it. If someone puts you a situation that may cause you to cross the line you have set, be sure to stop them and make it extremely clear where you draw the line. It may end up inevitably ending your relationship, but in the end, you did what you believed in. You have put God first and this makes him proud of you.

            This is coming from someone with experience: I left my ex-boyfriend because he wasn’t satisfied with waiting for our potential wedding day.

            I was hurting for a while because I thought he was different and I thought I loved him. He was my first kiss, my first boyfriend. I look back now and realize that I want nothing but blessings for my ex. I want him to come to experience Him like I have. I feel empowered now. I feel stronger! I never want to give in to the ways of this world. I realize now that I am a woman made by a loving God.

Finally, if you are doing everything you can think of to do correctly and you still can’t see where your “guy” is, then here comes the hard part: WAITING!

            I’ve been waiting myself. My first boyfriend came when I was 18; a much older age than many other young people. Patience is a virtue, a harder virtue to uphold for some people than others. Maybe it’s not you who’s being worked on at the moment, did you ever stop to think that God just may be working on your mate as well? God is the master potter and He is molding you and your mate and everyone else. You wouldn’t want the perfect person for you to be only half done, would you? I know I wouldn’t. The truth is, no one can understand everything that God is doing in their lives.

Love

“And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.”

-1 Corinthians 13:13

                Lately I’ve been talking a lot about faith. But, just as faith is important, so is love. Faith works through love and that is more important than the law (Galatians 5:5-6). With faith comes true love; not the mere mortal kind but the kind that comes from God. The kind that is willing to make sacrifices, has understanding, and is patient. The love that is humble and not selfish. The love that will do anything to protect and will persevere through hardship.

“This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And

we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.”

-1 John 3:16

                God IS love. He set for us an example of what our love should be like. If we do not love God, than we do not know true love. God dwells in those who love and makes them complete. There is no fear in love; rather perfect love drives out fear because fear has to do with negative consequences. You cannot claim to love God but then hate someone. How can you not love someone whom you can see but then claim to love what you cannot see? (1 John 4) God loves us so much that He sent His one and only Son so that He may set us free and dwell among us in the New Heaven.

“Better is open rebuke than hidden love.”

-Proverbs 27:5

                Love is so important that the Law can be based upon two commandments: Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and love your neighbor as yourself. With love for God comes our faith and trust. With it comes dependence on Him and true repentance. Our love cannot be mere words and talk but must be shown in truth and action (1 John 3:18).

“This love I speak of means that we must live in obedience to God’s commands.

The command, as you have all heard from the beginning, is that you must all live in love.”

-2 John 6

Praise To the Lord

                God loves when we make music and praise Him. He wants us to raise our voices to Him for His glory and honor and power. 

“It is a good thing to give thanks unto the LORD, and 

to sing praises unto thy name, o most high.”

-Psalm 92:1

“O come, let us sing unto the LORD: let us make a joyful noise to 

the rock of our salvation.Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, 

and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms."

-Psalm 95:1

“Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands. Serve the LORD with 

gladness: come before his presence with singing."

-Psalm 100:1

“Praise the Lord. Praise God in his sanctuary: praise him in the firmament of his power. Praise him for his mighty acts: praise him according to his excellent greatness. Praise him with the sound of the trumpet: praise him with the psaltery and harp. Praise him with the timbrel and dance: praise him with stringed instruments and organs. Praise him upon the loud cymbals: praise him upon the high sounding cymbals. Let every thing that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord.”

-Psalm 150:1-6

“I will praise the name of God with a song; I will magnify him with thanksgiving.”

-Psalm 69:30 

               About 2 months ago I decided to write a few songs to God. I know this is different from my typical posts but I thought it's time I finally share them.

Dear God, I Need You

All the twisted lies

And all the broken promises

That changed who I used to be

All my hopes and dreams

That crumbled in my hands

All my mistakes

I’d like to erase

My obsessions got the best of me

The weight of this world

Has got me on my knees

Aching for something beautiful

I want to feel beautiful

Swallowing this pain

I close my eyes

I’m my only ally

Lost for words, don’t know what to say

I can’t take it anymore

Don’t want to cry another night

Don’t want to continue this fight

I’m afraid to lose control

Filled with worry

With every rising sun comes unchartered territory

All the times I’ve turned my back

And still you wait for me

And I can hear you say

It’s okay

You say you’re so ashamed

Regrettable choices you’ve made

Bruised and broken

Your soul’s torn at the seams

But you’re still hoping

I know you think you’re all alone

But anywhere you are

You’re forgiven

The mistakes that you’ve made

Memories erased

Only by my grace

I was living in denial

Wearing a fake smile

Heading for disaster

Living like it didn’t matter

It’s time

I draw the line

Underneath this skin

Is a heart that’s aching

It’s praying

This world just takes

It’s stealing

Let your love wash over me

I fall asleep at night

All alone and afraid

I need you here

I need you now

It’s crawling in my veins

I’ve become quite a liar

Dear God, I’m on my knees

I’m praying

Can you ever forgive me?

Can you hear my soul is crying?

Calling out to you

Loneliness is my enemy

Insecure

Don’t know what for

Building up walls

Let them fall

I pretend I can do it on my own

But I don’t really want to be alone

Turned into someone I don’t want to be

Searching for something beautiful

I want to feel beautiful

All the times I’ve turned my back

And still you wait for me

And I can hear you say

It’s okay

Rescuer

Break your lonely heart free

Don’t be someone you don’t want to be

Beaten and broken

By flashbacks of your own past

Mistakes that you can’t erase

But that doesn’t matter

He’s still waiting for you

Feels like your world is falling apart

All the lies and promises

That pulled you away

Cut you like a knife

But hold on

All the pain will be gone

Don’t cry another night

Don’t put up a fight

You’re under attack

Tired of all the bricks on your back

Taking fire

Feeling tired

Tired of this fight

You want to feel alive

Feels like your world is falling apart

All the lies and promises

That pulled you away

Cut you like a knife

But hold on

All the pain will be gone

Don’t cry another night

Don’t put up a fight

Let him rescue you

If you’re hurting

And feeling afraid

Nowhere else to turn

You got to believe

He’ll be there every day

To wash it away

Letting Go

I’m letting go

Of everything I know

To you I’m giving in

Help me learn to live

With you I can stand strong

When all goes wrong

You’re the only way

Start of a new day

You erase

All my mistakes

Take my concerns and cares

Throw them away

Take what is broken

Turn it into something beautiful

I’m breathing in this air

But only with you can I survive

I’m seeing for the first time

You’re the reason I’m alive

So in everything I do

I live for you

You watched me make my mistakes

But still you took me back

All along I built these walls

Help me make them fall

Running through my veins

Killing all my pain

Jesus

You’re my escape

You’re my remedy

Make me feel alive

Hear you in the darkness

Know I’m not alone

Feel you all around me

The silence says it all

I’m breathin in this air

But only with you can I survive

I’m seeing for the first time

You’re the reason I’m alive

So in everything I do

I live for you

Slow down

Breathe you in

Wash away my sin

How glorious it is to be

Set free

 

True Love

Met a boy when I was just seventeen

Meant the world to me

So I gave him everything

Thought he felt the same

He told me everything I wanted to hear

Sweet talked me every time I was near

Turned out to be a lie

But I trusted this guy

Dear God

I’m calling to you now

The only way I know how

I’m on my knees

Let your love wash over me

I need you to fill the empty space

And take me from this place

For you my heart is beating

Help relieve the sting

I hung on every word he said

He was the song that was stuck in my head

But he left me broken

My pride’s been stolen

Made me think we had something to treasure

Believed the lie and fell for the pressure

I wanted to stay

But couldn’t wait another day, had to get away

Dear God

I’m calling to you now

The only way I know how

I’m on my knees

Let your love wash over me

I need you to fill the empty space

and take me from this place

For you my heart is beating

Help relieve the sting

Nothing was real

Don’t like how this feels

He sold me out

And filled me up with doubt

All this time I’ve compromised

Think I’ve met my demise

Disconnected from it all

Answer my call

Dear God

I’m calling to you now

The only way I know how

I’m on my knees

Let your love wash over me

I need you to fill the empty space

and take me from this place

For you my heart is beating

Help relieve the sting

It took me forever to realize all the strife

That cut me like a knife

I was living in denial

Now I need a new revival

I pray that once my tears dry I’ll forgive

And one day I’ll be able to live

Now that I’m broken I see

That only you can complete me

Dear God

I’m calling to you now

The only way I know how

I’m on my knees

Let your love wash over me

I need you to fill the empty space

and take me from this place

For you my heart is beating

Help relieve the sting

Fake and fleeting

His love had no meaning

Now I’m feeling numb and cold

Realize I need your hand to hold

The only true love

Is the one sent from above

 

 

 

Homeless and Hungry

                We see them standing at street corners with cardboard signs, clothes that are torn and 3 sizes too big, and faces that haven’t been shaved in months. To introduce my next few topics I am choosing to point out the increase in unemployment and numbers of homeless people lining the streets. Why is our nation like this? We can't blame it ALL on the government. Sometimes it's because of those people themselves and what's in their hearts. Some homeless people are at that point because God wants to draw them closer to Him or use them to witness to others. How many people have you seen with signs that say God Bless You on the bottom! One woman, without even knowing my faith in Christ, said to me, “You just did what Jesus would do.” Others are brought there because of their failure to recognize God and repent of their sins. And then there are the homeless people who are actually people who were once well off, with faith in Christ, living a decent life with a family of their own. But instead, because of failure to recognize the Lord and thanking God for where they are, they are forced into a life of spending hours on their feet and rummaging through dumpsters looking for food. Their children don’t receive proper education or health care. Their pride is gone and they are made humble, just like Jesus made the Israelis when they were in the wilderness for forty years (Deuteronomy 8). They risk disease, dehydration, and starvation. 

              Have you ever truly looked into their eyes? There’s a look of defeat and pain, fear and sadness. And then when you approach them, there’s hope. There’s gratefulness. Some come to realize that God is putting us in their path to help them have a source of food and water (Matthew 6:24-34 states that he will provide us with all our food and clothes that we need if we have faith). That's what we need to do. Don't turn our backs to them but rather put ourselves in their shoes and do what we would want others to do for us. Sometimes it might be hard for us to give them money or buy them a meal, but remember, a giving person receives many blessings. However, I realize we cannot give everything we have if it means our survival. But remember, during the winter you can give a winter hat, a sweater, or a coat, maybe even a pair or shoes you don't wear much. During the summer you can give them water and even a bottle of sunscreen. Whatever is in your heart to give. But most importantly, give yourself unto the Lord so that you can be a light to these people. Give them a hope in the Lord.