Saturday, April 21, 2007

Greed

What do you think is some of the root causes of it? How does a society find balance when one of the main things driving it is greed? Any thoughts?

Tuesday, April 10, 2007

Having Fun While Waiting on the Lord to Provide a Husband: A 2007 post revisited through the lens of experience, agency and clarity

Free-Photos Pixabay

“No one whose hope is in You will ever be put to shame...” – Psalm 25:3

(Note: Today is May 31, 2025.  I originally published this article on April 10, 2007, when I was single. It became the most popular post on my blog. However, after getting married in 2021, I’ve begun to challenge the entire concept of “waiting” as it relates to marriage. My current thoughts are written in italics alongside the original text.)

Having Fun While Waiting on the Lord to Provide a Husband:  A 2007 post revisited through the lens of experience, agency and clarity

Each day, I’m learning more about what it means to be content while waiting on God’s provision for a mate. What I’ve come to realize is that this season doesn’t have to feel like torture. It can be a rich, fulfilling time of self-discovery, deepening your relationship with God, and preparing your life for the blessing to come.
Current thoughts: Are we really supposed to “wait on God’s provision for a mate”? What does waiting actually mean? Is it passive? Is it active?

The Lord wants us to enjoy the waiting season, even as we stand in faith. This is a sacred opportunity to know Him more intimately through the study of His Word and to become familiar with His character. Waiting is not punishment—it’s preparation.
I might replace the “waiting season” with the term "the single season".  I do believe God wants us to prepare ourselves while we’re single; not just spiritually, but practically. Looking back, I wish I had been more strategic in preparing myself, especially in areas like career and finances. Thank God I was able to catch up after marriage, but had I stewarded my single years better, rather than trying to escape them, I could have been more financially prepared.

God doesn’t want His daughters sitting in a corner, crying in despair, or isolating themselves with nothing but a Bible and a heavy heart. He desires for us to embrace life fully—right here, right now. Life does not begin the moment Mr. Right walks through the door. You are living now, and you can have a joyful, purposeful, and even comfortable wait.
This is still true.

I used to bring my complaints to God about the wait. I told Him it was taking too long. I’d recite statistics I had read in magazines, trying to convince Him of my biological timeline. I’d pray things like, “Lord, I’m getting older, my biological clock is ticking—I don’t want my ovaries to go bad!” Or I’d lament, “God, I’m cooking all these delicious meals and have no one to share them with!”
I now wish I had spent some of that energy preparing practically, like building my savings, learning about investing, and creating more financial stability.

But God isn’t moved by panic or pressure. He’s not worried about your ovaries or your age. He is both sovereign and practical. And if He can provide a mate for a tiny bird in a tree, won’t He do the same for you, His beloved daughter?
Yes, it’s true that God isn’t worried about our ovaries or our age. But there comes a time when we must also be realistic. We can’t just sit around expecting a husband to fall from the sky. Sometimes, we over-spiritualize this whole “finding a mate” thing.

So now, I’m learning to relax and enjoy God. I’m learning to enjoy my life, pursue my hobbies, nurture my growth, and trust in His perfect timing. This is not wasted time, it’s sacred time. And God is faithful. He will not put to shame anyone who places their hope in Him.
I still agree with this sentiment.


As you can see, my views have changed significantly since getting married. When I reflect on my single years, I wish I had used that time more wisely. But I can only move forward.

One of the biggest mindset shifts I experienced came through real life, not religious theory. I used to believe that God was waiting for the “perfect time,” when I had passed all His tests, before He would “graduate” me to marriage. That kind of thinking was faulty.

I got married not because I waited long enough or prayed hard enough, but because I finally did something different.  I stopped waiting for a husband to magically appear at church, the grocery store, or wherever I used to daydream about meeting him. My husband came into my life when I spoke up, when I told one of my male cousins about my desire for marriage and asked if he knew a good man. He did. He already knew my standards, and that introduction led me to the man I would marry.

It didn’t happen through passive waiting. It happened through focused intention. And honestly, that approach was the opposite of what I was taught in the Body of Christ.

I had been told to “just wait and pray,” and God would send the right man. But my breakthrough came when I stopped waiting, stopped just praying, and took a practical, intentional step by simply saying, “Can you introduce me to somebody?”

So in closing, I now lean more on the belief that we are called to partner with God, not just passively wait on Him. I want to challenge the Body of Christ to move away from its overemphasis on passive virtue as the pathway to marriage and embrace a faith that includes intentional action.

God's voice does not compete with fear

Fear is loud. It demands attention. It rushes us. It presents worst-case scenarios and insists we solve them immediately. Fear fills our min...