On love
I thought falling in love would be easier. I thought you'd meet someone who you found cute and attractive, and then you got chatting, and you'd laugh and have so much to say that you just never wanted the evening to end. But then it does, and it's okay, because you are excited for another day. What else could you discover, what areas could you explore, where in your hearts, minds and souls would you wander into and find the treasures you trust are there?
It must be a miracle, I think sometimes, to find someone whose company you enjoy, who is easy to get along with, whom you can trust and talk to about all kinds of things, and also someone you like as a person, find attractive, believe in, are fascinated by, find interesting, can learn something from, and still have fun with and someone who makes you laugh.
I come home sometimes, and then, in insignificant moments, I think on it, about young couples, or recent couples, and how it seemed easy for them, natural almost, as though it wasn't a struggle at all. I have no doubt it will happen for me one day, though maybe I should not trust so much in "what generally happens" and take nothing for granted and pray.
I know there are plenty of people like me, people I know, who are in their 30s and single, and who seem to be not even close to finding a person they can love and be loved by. And I wonder when they will meet that special someone. And I get frustrated and perplexed for them, until I realise I am in the same boat.
And I remember what that young woman spoke to us about in Namibia - it is no better and no worse to be single or married. I have never been too concerned about marriage. But I do want to find someone to love and someone who loves me, unconditionally, like we all do, I believe.
I can't say why I haven't found that certain someone yet. My mom and dad often have something to say about that. And my friends from school have said nothing at all. They have been fortunate enough to have experienced relationships, whether one intense one, or a few. I have been more single than dating. I feel we probably have such different issues in our lives. I wonder what are theirs.
The issue of love is a big one. It is constant. I know I was fascinated by love from a young age. I am sure we all are. It is what we were made for. And yet it begs the question, why is it so hard? You have a lifetime to learn to love. But there are many kinds of love. Sometimes you think you have found that special someone because it all felt so right, and then you realise that the love you have for that person is maybe not a romantic love, or maybe it is not a permanent love, or maybe it is not true love. I have heard it said that when you meet that special someone with whom you want to spend the rest of your life, you just know.
But our knowledge is not God's knowledge. There have been times I have said, "I just know", and the knowledge turned to peaches. Before I surrendered my life to God, I believed in living with someone for at least two years before marriage, because that is what my parents did, and they set the standard for me. Now I follow Christ, and what someone once said to me remained in me as a profound approach to marriage. I didn't think I could ever do it, but I am starting to think that is the only way - to remain absolutely pure before the Lord and not even date, but be like brother and sister only, and decide to get married based on the Lord's Word over your life. To hear from the Lord. To trust in the Lord for that Word. And to marry to glorify God, to be in ministry together, to work as a team with a common goal and purpose.
Maybe you find it extreme or radical. But I think it is amazing. And I think it would be amazing if God would choose my husband for me, and I could get to know him as a brother without concerning myself with the sinful nature. I believe God has made us all with very specific purposes in mind, and we are all here to minister in one way or another. So, whoever God would team me up with, he would be someone whom I can help in his ministry with the very specific talents I have. We will complement each other. And I would believe in him, in what he does, and in his vision. And all the other things, the details, we would have to iron out, and we'd have to overcome our differences, because we are human, and we all have our own unique backgrounds and prejudices.
Call me crazy, and maybe I am just on some spiritual purist train at the moment, but I really want to hear from God on this matter, and see if there is any relevance and purpose in this proposal.
It must be a miracle, I think sometimes, to find someone whose company you enjoy, who is easy to get along with, whom you can trust and talk to about all kinds of things, and also someone you like as a person, find attractive, believe in, are fascinated by, find interesting, can learn something from, and still have fun with and someone who makes you laugh.
I come home sometimes, and then, in insignificant moments, I think on it, about young couples, or recent couples, and how it seemed easy for them, natural almost, as though it wasn't a struggle at all. I have no doubt it will happen for me one day, though maybe I should not trust so much in "what generally happens" and take nothing for granted and pray.
I know there are plenty of people like me, people I know, who are in their 30s and single, and who seem to be not even close to finding a person they can love and be loved by. And I wonder when they will meet that special someone. And I get frustrated and perplexed for them, until I realise I am in the same boat.
And I remember what that young woman spoke to us about in Namibia - it is no better and no worse to be single or married. I have never been too concerned about marriage. But I do want to find someone to love and someone who loves me, unconditionally, like we all do, I believe.
I can't say why I haven't found that certain someone yet. My mom and dad often have something to say about that. And my friends from school have said nothing at all. They have been fortunate enough to have experienced relationships, whether one intense one, or a few. I have been more single than dating. I feel we probably have such different issues in our lives. I wonder what are theirs.
The issue of love is a big one. It is constant. I know I was fascinated by love from a young age. I am sure we all are. It is what we were made for. And yet it begs the question, why is it so hard? You have a lifetime to learn to love. But there are many kinds of love. Sometimes you think you have found that special someone because it all felt so right, and then you realise that the love you have for that person is maybe not a romantic love, or maybe it is not a permanent love, or maybe it is not true love. I have heard it said that when you meet that special someone with whom you want to spend the rest of your life, you just know.
But our knowledge is not God's knowledge. There have been times I have said, "I just know", and the knowledge turned to peaches. Before I surrendered my life to God, I believed in living with someone for at least two years before marriage, because that is what my parents did, and they set the standard for me. Now I follow Christ, and what someone once said to me remained in me as a profound approach to marriage. I didn't think I could ever do it, but I am starting to think that is the only way - to remain absolutely pure before the Lord and not even date, but be like brother and sister only, and decide to get married based on the Lord's Word over your life. To hear from the Lord. To trust in the Lord for that Word. And to marry to glorify God, to be in ministry together, to work as a team with a common goal and purpose.
Maybe you find it extreme or radical. But I think it is amazing. And I think it would be amazing if God would choose my husband for me, and I could get to know him as a brother without concerning myself with the sinful nature. I believe God has made us all with very specific purposes in mind, and we are all here to minister in one way or another. So, whoever God would team me up with, he would be someone whom I can help in his ministry with the very specific talents I have. We will complement each other. And I would believe in him, in what he does, and in his vision. And all the other things, the details, we would have to iron out, and we'd have to overcome our differences, because we are human, and we all have our own unique backgrounds and prejudices.
Call me crazy, and maybe I am just on some spiritual purist train at the moment, but I really want to hear from God on this matter, and see if there is any relevance and purpose in this proposal.
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