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Wrinkle-free Wednesdays

Guest post by Lisa Powell

I was talking to a guy the other day and he was telling me all about his son’s wedding that past weekend.  It sounds as if it was a beautiful event and they had a great time.  However, after he finished telling me all about it he said “so now that we’ve got that one out of the way, we’ve gotta get you married.” I said, “oh, really I’m not in a hurry” and he so eloquently said, “but you’re running out of time.”

Really? I didn’t realize I had a deadline.  What is my deadline and what happens if I miss it?

Everyone seems to be in such a hurry to get me married (everyone except God that is). But for no real reason it seems other than the fact that they believe I’m getting older and should be married by now.  I’m sure they just want me to enjoy the benefits of marriage that they have come to enjoy.  However, I’m also sure these same people don’t want to see me divorced, so while they are pushing me to marry I know ultimately they want me to make a wise decision (and even if they don’t I do).

So, while I understand that everyone wants me to be married (heck, so do I), I‘ve learned when I’m in a hurry I make poor choices.  When I’m in a hurry I tend to:

• speed which could result in a ticket or worse, an accident
• burn myself trying to curl my hair
• skip a button, miss a belt loop or even slip on two different shoes
• not catch misspelled words or leave off punctuation
• grow impatient and become not too pleasant to be around
• skip my devotion, which can be bad for my spiritual health

I could go on and on, and yet while many of these outcomes are small and not as detrimental as others, they teach me at least two lessons.

1. Each of them could have been avoided if I had just prepared ahead of time
2. It’s how I handle the small tasks that prepare me for handling bigger tasks

“Learn the art of patience.  Apply discipline to your thoughts when they become anxious over the outcome of a goal.  Impatience breeds anxiety, fear, discouragement and failure.  Patience creates confidence, decisiveness, and a rational outlook, which eventually leads to success.” - Brian Adams

When I try to make things happen rather than wait on God’s timing things don’t work out right.  I can look back at a few of my past relationships for a quick reminder of what I can get myself into. You see I know too many unhappily married and divorced people to rush into marriage. God has also afforded me the opportunity to meet and observe many happily married Christian couples to know that it’s worth waiting on God’s timing rather than just asking Him to bless what I try to put together.

Of course I wish it would happen sooner rather than later but what if I’m ready and God is still preparing my husband for me? What if I only think I’m ready and God is still molding me into the wife and mother He needs me to be for what awaits ahead? My view is quite limited, but God sits high and looks low.  Only He knows the future, which is why I’ve got to trust that He knows when it’s just the right time for me to get married.

So maybe I’m running out of time according to the world’s schedule but God is not bound by the confines of time and space. And what I’ve learned about Him is that He may not come when you want Him, but He’s always right on time!

So tell me, am I really running out of time?

If you’ve enjoyed this post, you might also enjoy these other Wrinkle-free Wednesday posts:

What to do during your season of singleness

Overcoming broken-heart syndrome

Single and highly favored

About the Author

Lisa is the creator of www.the-christian-single-woman.com, a website dedicated to helping Christian single women lead fulfilling and whole lives during their season of singleness.   Though singleness is not a desired state for most, she is a firm believer that it should not be a season of depression.   As a Christian single who has endured many ups and downs in singleness, her heart’s desire is to be a voice of encouragement for Christian single women to remind them they are not alone, they have not been forgotten and most of all that they are loved by Christ.

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