My Daugther, Mandy, posted this to her blog today:
This is for the Ladies
Have you ever played the game Bigger and Better? Everybody is given an object, and a certain amount of time to trade that object for something bigger or better. Once the time is up, whoever has the biggest or best object in the group wins.
The issue of love or romance has been heavily laid on my heart. Not just for me, but for some of my very best friends. Boys seem to like to make us cry, don't they? I don't know about you, but I've noticed a bit of a shortage of good, Christian men our age. Now I'm not going to turn this into a male-bashing time, I know we girls have our faults too. But I also know this Valentines Day can become a time for a lot of us nice, Christian girls to feel lonely or depressed. And it occurred to me today that... there's nothing wrong with that! We're not "losers" because we desire to have someone that loves God and won't break our hearts. It occurred to me that perhaps God placed this desire in our hearts because He wants to fill it. Maybe the reason God hasn't brought someone for us is that He's got something bigger and better planned. The Bible says in Romans that "God causes all things to work together for the good of those who love Him." He's got our romances in His hands. And hasn't He written the most beautiful love stories? Jacob and Rachel, Hosea and Gomer, Rahab and the spy, Esther and the king, even Christ and His Bride.
But what do we do now? When we know that God is in control but we still feel lonely or heartbroken? What did God say to Paul when he asked for a trial to be removed from his life? He said, "My grace is sufficient for you". His grace is sufficient for us! That means, he allows us to go through certain things, knowing it will hurt, and providing us with enough grace to get us through.
I know that there are lots of girls who are sad about the boy issue. Either because someone has already broken their heart, or they just haven't dated because there doesn't seem to be anyone out there who's worth their time! Or because there is someone, but he doesn't pay attention to them. I want you to know that I know exactly how you feel. I invite you to fall in love with Jesus this Valentines Day, and let God prepare something that is bigger and better than anything you could possibly imagine. (Eph 3:20)
"Yet those who wait for the Lord will gain new strenth;
They will mount up with wings like eagles,
They will run and not get tired,
They will walk and not becomr weary."
Isaiah 40:31
9 comments:
hey! that's me!
no, Pastor Mike, this is your best post ever!
Mandy you are special and loved...it will take the boys a while to catch up to your mental, spiritual maturity etc...but in time that will come :)...but for now, you have the right idea, be satisfied in what God has given you!...
Pastor Mike, What a lovely and mature daughter you have! I pray that our 3 boys find godly young women with a heart like Mandy's when they get older.
Laura, I'm not sure Mandy will wait that long, but you never know!
I agree Annette--your best post ever Pastor Mike! Mandy, you are God's and He absolutely delights in you and adores you. What Annette said is so true, the boys need to 'catch up' to you, but they will someday. You are wise beyond your years. God is our utmost fulfillment and a box of chocolate, flowers or a movie on a certain day doesn't even come close to comparing to Him. He adores you far beyond what you could even imagine!
well, Mandy, I think I found my secret weapon! When ever I need a good post, you can be my ghost writer!
My turn to weigh in.
A woman is not a man. Although everything that Mandy addressed can apply to both men and women, a woman's emotional make up is a different shape than a man.
Even looking at these comments (and several more were emailed to me with the request to forward them to Mandy), it is women who feel this hits home. it is women who are responding.
The lesson for Men: Don't get cocky. Don't think, "I understand these creatures." Instead, it is our job to constantly ask questions and learn.
No doubt it is God who put in women a strong desire to find their worth in the love of a man. It's not politically correct to say so, but it's obvious to anyone paying attention. That, of course means that the delightful domesticity that is planned by God for us men has a strong natural component. In other words, women being like they are means we get to have wives which civilizes our lives dramatically!
However, this also offers a myriad of temptations towards spiritual compromise to single women. God might not seem like enough. Waiting for the right guy might seem like increasing the odds of dissatisfaction. Indeed, I have counseled very many women with the words, "Then why did you choose him? Why did you marry him?" in response to their observations that their husbands are very difficult to live with. "I was young" is often the answer, and that is no doubt true. This is why young women must be taught to love God first and foremost (young men too, but for now we're talking about women, okay).
And so, I say to Mandy, yes. Exactly right. you are taking a step of faith, and testing to see if God will keep His word to you. This is always a good risk. For, even we are faithless, "He remains faithful."
This was an excellent post, and I would like to point out a few things that I have noticed.
I have a lot of friends (that's it, just bragging).
My friends and I are all now in our thirties and forties (when did that happen?), and the one thing that all of my single friends have in common is that they are the ones that always have a boyfriend, but never the same boyfriend for very long. Instead of waiting for God to put the right man in their lives, they are trying to find him in every man they meet. You would think that the sheer volume of men would increase their chances, but it doesn't seem to. I know that the man God had intended for me had been there in front of me for six years before I saw him, my vision was blurred by the searching.
I am moved that at such a young age Mandy has figured out that the old adage is not true,you do not have to kiss a lot of frogs
That's a great point made by Julie! I was actually going to put that in my post, about how we have this longing for a man so a lot of girls will just date any guy available to fill that longing, when they should wait. but i didn't want anyone to feel bad. because i know i've had that discussion with some of the girls that read my blog, so i didn't want them to be like hey... she's talking about me.
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