“Who can find a virtuous wife? For her worth
is far above rubies. The heart of her husband safely trusts her; so he will
have no lack of gain. She does him good and not evil all the days of her
life…she extends her hand to the poor…strength and honor are her clothing; she
shall rejoice in time to come. She opens her mouth with wisdom, and on her
tongue is the law of kindness. She watches over the ways of her household, and
does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children rise up and call her blessed;
her husband also, and he praises her: ‘Many daughters have done well, but you
excel them all.’ Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing, but a woman who
fears the Lord, she will be praised…”
(Proverbs 31: “The Virtuous Wife” NKJV)
A while back, a good friend of mine sent me a video link and told me that I had to watch it; that it would be worth my time. Well, she was right. Not only was the video captivating, but it really began to challenge my thinking of how I have been viewing men, myself and the ultimate prince charming, Jesus Christ, in the past few months. While on the World Race,* I got to see what Men of God realistically looked like. They are not perfect, by any means, but they have a deep love and respect for Jesus Christ-which ultimately showered down upon us women. I discovered that being submissive to these men of God resembled that of being submissive to Christ Himself. It was not this need of giving into some
higher power and then losing a part of myself, but a longing to show honor, respect, and love to men who honored, respected, and loved us women back. So needless to say, the men on my squad set the bar high for what I want in my future husband. Also, while on the Race and leading a group of girls for Real Life,* I discovered more of who the Lord has called me to be. I walked more and more into my identity in Christ and learned that I contain a power (greater than I could ever imagine) living inside of me. I found that I do not need to find my self-worth in a man, but only in Christ. Basically, I have learned a whole lot about Jesus and myself in the past two years.
Why is it then that I find myself paying close attention to what the world says
about what a woman my age should look and act like?
I am not going to lie…it is hard. Many of my friends are either in a dating relationship or are married and now having children. I remember when my girls and I would talk about these futuristic events like they would never come. Well, it is now happening and I find myself having to rely more on the Lord than ever before. I am only 23 years old, so why am I so focused on finding “the one?” I know I have time; believe me, I understand the concept of God’s timing! However, it does not mean that it gets easier as time goes on. Let’s face it, we live in a world where if you are not married by the age of 30, then there must be something wrong with you. I do not agree with this. Actually, when I think about that statement it makes me think that it is not the longing for a partner that drives me to the point of needing/wanting to be in a relationship. Instead, it is the having to appease to the unrealistic expectations that people my age face on a regular basis. One of my deepest desires is to share my life with a Godly man. I pray that we will be more powerful togther than apart; that our life together will display the glory of the Christ. By the grace of God, I am beginning to understand that this desire will only come alive when I focus in on Jesus Himself. The more my mind, heart, soul, and body fixate on Jesus, the more I will be able to see my future spouse more clearly. There is a reason why I am single in this time and season. The Lord desires to use me in order to bring Kingdom in ways that I would not be able to if I were in a relationship. Jesus is also still growing me; He is molding me into that “Virtuous Woman” that is spoken of in the book of Proverbs. I am not ready and my heart is just beginning to comprehend that. And you know what? I am also okay with that.
My whole point in creating this blog was to share with you that video I spoke of earlier. I remember watching it and I literally could feel Jesus caressing my heart and telling me that true love is worth the wait.
So, this goes out to my future husband…although
I find myself pacing back and forth in my thoughts, I will wait for you.
And as for Jesus…
I will continue to seek after your heart for
you are always worth the wait. However, the great part about our relationship
is that you are the one waiting for me. You are the one pursuing me in every
minute and hour of the day. Thank you for revealing that I am worth the wait.
Here’s the video link. Trust me, it is worth your time!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=igCj3jsbcqs
*The World Race: http://www.theworldrace.org/
http://alisaprox.theworldrace.org/
*Real Life: http://www.adventures.org/reallife/
