Single Season

" A tall, strong man"

" A man who knows where he's going"

"A guy who is already etsablished"

"A man who's got style, who looks good  from top to bottom, all day, everyday"

" A guy who will just surprise me, like sending me a boucay of flowers, just because"

"A man who is a good listener"
"A man who treats me like a queen"

You have just gone through a list of wants, some females desires in a man.

I remember when my friends and I were in secondary school, young and somewhat naive, and one of my friends would say she would never go out with someone who didn't own a car. I'm actually laughing thinking about it because she was so serious at the time and would say "So what, are we gonna be on the bus?" LOL. She's grown into a beautiful mature lady but there are still females who still hold onto that view. Whether it's right or wrong I will not debate about that now but my point is that we have these lists in our heads, or ideas of what we want our ideal partner to be like. I'm not just talking about females either. Males have their lists too. Most guys want to be catered too, and looked after and treated like kings......amoung other things.

                                                         

Us females are looking for our idea of a king and males are looking for their idea of a queen. Some of us spend time looking for the ideal, dismissing people and even 'testing the waters' to see what happens but what do you have to show? What do I mean by that?

I would say I want to be with a man who knows where He's going. He may not be there presently but he has a plan - a sense of direction. One day I was just thinking to myself, apart from the degree I'm studying towards, do I have a vision or plan? What do I want to do after my degree? To my surprise there were quite a few blanks and I realised I wanted something in a man that I hadn't even thought about or put to God myself. So you may say we want this, you want that but what do we have to offer?

As males and females we spend so much time looking at the opposite sex and even complaining but what are we doing now?

                                                           
When  Jesus talks to the disciples about asking and receiving he tells them to ask with the expectation of good things (Matthew 7:7-11) and after this He says 'Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.' (Matthew 7:12) .
You want to be with someone who is good listener, are you a good listener? You want to be with someone who is forgiving but if someone accidently bumps into you the whole world know. Those are just two examples, but you get my drift (well I hope you do).

Genesis 2:24 says

Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh

and until then according to the Word of God we are single. When I've spoke about being with someone or being with a partner I'm talking about husband and wife and in due season God will bring that husband or wife to you, but before then what are we doing, besides making lists of wants.

Your single season is not meant to be a time to sulk everytime valentines day comes around; it's not a time to get angry everytime you see a couple holding hands at the bus stop; it's not a time to label every male or female as your ex; it's not a time to be getting gassed by swagnotes but it's a time to establish your relationship and intimacy with Christ (this doesn't stop after you get married). Jesus told the Pharisees the first and great commandment is to love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind (Matthew 22:37-38).  Our single season should be occupied with just doing that. Where's your focus at right now?

It's time to put the Word into practice and to exercises characteristics not only required for marriage but required for you to be a vessel of God. We should exercise forgiveness (Matthew 18:21-35), kindness, tolerance (Galatians 5:22-26), humility (Matthew 23:11-12, Proverbs 12:1), sacrifice which is love (John 3:16, Romans 5:8) and that nicely leads me onto the second great commandment which says love your neighbour as yourself (Matthew 22:39) So how do you behave now? How do you treat your brothers and sisters in Christ? How do you treat the saved and unsaved?

I remember when I was talking with my Pastor about housework and I told him I don't mind doing it when no one tells me but when I'm told I don't want to. He then said to me if I can't submit to my parents how can you submit to your husband? Now the discussion of submission is for another post but it just an example of preparation and exercising the Word in this single season.

My prayer used to be God make sure he's this and and I pray he's that but now I pray that Lord make me a lady prepared, a woman ready when it is that season.


Am I saying don't have standards or expectations, certainly not they're good but know that the type of wife or husband you want should measure up to the lady or man in Christ you're aiming to be.

Be encouraged!

Female Body Blues

ELLO......Sorry I have not posted in a while. I know, I really need to be more consistent but since my summer break has now commenced you will definitely be hearing or should I say reading more.
               
The other day I was youtubing, just looking at fashion and hair tutorials (this won't surprise some) and I was watching a girl who does alot of fashion related stuff but she recently posted a video about her body image and her struggle to be perfect. I was quite touched and thought I should write something about the body image blues I used to have. This may not apply to everyone but I've realised there's power in your experience or testimony and sometimes as Christians we shout out our blessings but hide our struggles, the very thing people need to hear in order to relate and know that Christ can do the same for them too.


From since I can remember I have always been quite slim however this never bothered me until I reached secondary school - a time of mental, emotional and physical refurbishment for many. We become more conscious of our bodies and the influence they have on the opposite sex. People were growing mountains in the front and hills at the back and I thought it only seemed like yesterday when we were all wearing vests.

Anyway my physical development seemed to be more gradual than others and to be honest I hated it, but the thing about me was I learnt to perfect pretend-confidence. People would give me compliments about the way I carried myself but in my head I compared my body to others, and was never content. 

I laugh now because I remember when my mum used to tell me that I complained too much and that she once was quite slim. She told me that I would stop complaining once I got older.

People would make comments about my body and there was a period in my life when it really got to me. Some people were generally concerned but some just wanted to talk, but hey that's not new.

There was actually a time when I became quite fixated on putting on weight and getting bits and bobs and I began to drink nourishment drinks and other protein shakes. It was when I began to go to the toilet a bit more often than usual that I actually realised how ridiculous it was getting - it was not cute. I then asked myself why am I actually doing this? To conform? To impress? To get attention? After that experience I realised that I had no reason not be content.

As children of God, male or female, we should equate the creation (us) with the creator, so my problem wasn't that there was something wrong me but the problem was that I could not accept that there wasn't.

We are in a world driven by looks, the possessions we have and the status we uphold. Everywhere we look, 'live' or on paper, there is a standard presented of how to look and behave but we are not called to live according to the standards of this world (1 John 2:15-17).

I am not condemning the use of protein shakes, or the use of a treadmill to lose weight but whilst getting to where you want to be physically always have in mind why you're doing it so you don't lose your identity to this world in the process.

Are there still bits of my body I wouldn't mind tweeking? Yeah but I've learnt to embrace my body.

A bit too enthusiastic? LOL

Be healthy,be content and think about the creator next time you think of the creation as rubbish (Ephesians 2:10) 


Be encouraged!