This is not a dry season.
This is not a lonely season.
This is not a waiting season.
This can be the most fruitful season of your entire life, if you let it be.
To all my fellow single gals (and guys),
It's beginning to look a lot like that time of year again. Couples are getting cozy, and it seems like everyone else is pairing up. And you're reminded a little ~extra~ that you're still single:')
And i don't know about you, but knowing the only things keeping me warm this winter are chai lattes & fuzzy socks hurts a little bit... maybe even a-lot-a-bit. That desire for a special person to share the holidays with hits different. The weather's a little colder. And suddenly, a season of gratitude and thankfulness turns into what feels like a season of longing and waiting.
A season of discontent.
When we choose to focus on the things we want, we take our eyes off what we already have.
Our perspective shifts away from gratitude for all we've been blessed with,
and more importantly, away from the Source: He who has blessed us.
Jesus- THE blessing, the One who has taken us from death to life.
The One who offers mercy for all our sin and brokenness, gracefully restoring us to our Father in heaven.
WHOLE FULLNESS.
The One where our completeness is found. (Colossians 2:9-10)
It's ok to want a romantic relationship. But I've learned it's not ok to want it so much that you find yourself discontent without one.
In Philippians, Paul boasts of God's goodness as he's sitting alone in a jail cell, proclaiming He's "learned in whatever situation" to be content, abounding in Christ who strengthens him. (Philippians 4:11-13)
If Jesus is enough for Paul in prison, why don't I recognize he's more than enough for my singleness?
Jesus has always been enough. before your relationship. during it. after it. always.
He is the relationship your heart deeply desires.
He is the love you're looking for.
He is the sweetest company & most perfect companion.
No one on this whole earth will ever complete you.
Only the creator of your heart can fully satisfy it.
Friend, please stop believing the lie that you need anyone else to complete you.
That your "better half" is out there waiting for you to find them.
Desire fails, no matter how much you want something & work to achieve it.
Desire fails because this life is fleeting. We are heading to our eternal home. (Ecclesiastes 12:5)
We are called to trust that Christ knows what we need, when we need it.
His ways are higher than ours.
Whatever He has for us is so much better than what we think we want.
He is our strength and our portion. (Psalms 73:26)
But what does this look like? Contentment in the Lord? It doesn't always change these feelings of loneliness and longing. When we trust Him to be enough are we called to sit & wait until he answers our prayers?
Nope:) Here's what's cool about God:
He's always calling us into Him.
Into seeking Him in the unknown.
Into listening for His voice.
Into looking for His work.
Into reading His word.
Into sharing His name.
whether you're single or not.
maybe you've heard that "Singleness is a BLESSING !!!"
and maybe you're like me & you have a hard time seeing/believing that.
So i invite you to look at it this way instead:
We have the chance to bless the Lord with our singleness.
The bible says singleness is a time to "secure our undivided devotion to the Lord" (1 Corinthians 7:25)
It's the only time in life where it's just you & Him:)
You can pursue Him with all the time/energy/passion you have, undistracted by a romantic relationship.
You can rest instead of chasing after people.
You can find peace as you learn the Lord is good company.
You can grow in the most important relationship, where there is no heartbreak.
This afternoon I had no idea that these were the words I needed to hear. But just as the Lord spoke life and purpose over my season, I pray your heart has received His healing words too.
If so or if not, I want to end with this one bit of hope:
When we stop chasing after something not meant for us at this moment, the Lord will smile upon our faithfulness to Him, and oh how much more He will bless you when your time comes.
- Olivia Ferlito