Several months ago I met a sweet, young, single woman for dinner. We talked and ate, and she mentioned that some friends of hers wanted to get into a small group or Bible study. She wondered if I’d be interested in leading it. So I asked her if all of the friends she was talking about were single.
She responded by saying, “Well, two of them are and then there’s me and one other girl.”
I know I’ve thought it.
“I deserve a man. I’m following God. I’m living my life for Him. Doesn’t that mean I deserve a boyfriend?”
But God doesn’t work that way.
We actually deserve nothing. Nada. Yet, we still feel entitled. We believe we should get our way and when we don’t, we get angry and doubt God’s love.
“Just give me ten minutes please,” I said in an elevated voice to my two children as one called out “MOOMMMYYYY” and then the other. It was 8:00 a.m. on a Saturday morning. How can they be bickering already? I thought to myself.
I have a confession to make. I’ve been waiting for my happily ever after, story book ending since I was in the 7th grade. What I loved about romance novels was there was always a beginning, middle, and end. No matter what obstacles were thrown in the protagonists’ paths, they would always end up together and in love.
Back in February I attended a writing conference outside of Charlotte called Writers Bootcamp. As all writing conferencing are, it was overwhelming and encouraging all rolled into one.
While I was at the conference someone (and when I say someone I mean someone who should know – like a published author or editor or someone like that) said that single women don’t buy books about singleness.
Oh really?
I entered this past week with a heavy heart. It is not often that I feel so weighed down and full of sorrow. As I went to bed on Sunday night I wanted to weep and release the pain and confusion that was swirling around my body. My heart was aching, and I felt torn into a few pieces. No, I hadn’t experienced a relationship break-up. But I was feeling deep sorrow for a couple of people close to my heart as I continued to watch the choices they were making.
