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Single Solitude With Our Beloved.

June 4, 2010 By 1 Comment

“But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.”
Luke 5:16 (NIV)

Jesus, a single man, often spent time in solitude with the Lord. Before and after He did anything the bible mentions Him retreating to a quiet place and praying to the Father. He was incredibly busy. He had a multitude of people depending on Him every single day. I’m sure He was exhausted at the beginning or end of the day. And yet He woke up everyday, while everyone slept, to pray. Nothing else nor no one else was more important. His time with the Lord was MOST important.

I work, attend two fellowship groups, I play piano for two bands at my church, am a leader and secretary for The Bridge Youth Ministries, a small group manager for the 5 different divisions of the Bridge Youth Ministries, I attend one service and serve at two youth services on Sundays, I do the weekly bulletins for both youth services and I write for Exemplify Online. I am a daughter, sister, friend, mentor, leader, writer and employee. I wear many hats and sometimes they become so numerous that my time with the Lord is compromised. I love the Lord with all my heart and I try to live a life of service and obedience. But sometimes I get so wrapped up in what I am doing for Him through my life, I don’t know how to stop and quiet my mind and spend time in solitude with Him.

I find that we single women, have the tendency to over commit ourselves. In wanting to serve the Lord and serve others, we overload ourselves with activities and different responsibilities. People begin to depend on us and we do not want to let them down. But what happens is that very quickly we become consumed with what we need to do for Lord or for others that we do not spend enough time with the Lord.

I was so busy with everything and I began to realize that my relationship with the Lord was suffering. I realized I missed Him. And then He brought it my attention…”You are barely spending time with me.”  I needed to stop and listen to Him. Spend time with Him. Not saying anything just listening. Abiding.

Nothing can not come between us and God. Nothing. Let us nurture and protect this relationship we have with the Father. He is our beloved.

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Single Matters of The Heart

April 23, 2010 By 1 Comment

*** SSB’s don’t forget our link up this Tuesday.  Our theme this month is 7 random facts about you!  Doesn’t that sound like a fun way to get to know one another!  :)

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“Daughters of Jerusalem, I charge you
by the gazelles and by the does of the field:
Do not arouse or awaken love until it so desires.”
Songs of Songs 2:7

These words seem to always be on my mind and in my heart. The Holy Spirit has the tendency to constantly remind me of them. The woman, ‘Beloved,’ repeats these words three times. Three times the Lord charges us: “Do not arouse or awaken love until it so desires.”

I have been earnestly walking with the Lord, for four years now; and, this December, marked my four year journey as a single woman. The toughest part of these four years has been my patience or my willingness to obey the Lord with matters of my heart.

You see, we may be eager to fall in love but we have to be very careful on this path. This is why when I write to you ladies, I always encourage you to set your eyes forward on the face of Jesus. Only then will our thoughts and our longings be aligned with His and we will find intimate protection.

“He will cover you with his feathers,
and under his wings you will find refuge.”
Psalm 91:4

This has been a struggle for me in the past. When someone begins to tug at the strings of my heart, my mind quickly gets distracted by the butterflies in my tummy, and the words God speaks into my heart become slightly drowned out by feelings. I then begin to head down a path I have no business being on.

As I type this I remember conversations I’ve had with God. I began to fall for someone, and I told Him, “This has to be the right time, the right person. I delight in you God and you said when I do, you will fulfill the desires of my heart. So I’m going to just go with the flow.” But, going with the flow wasn’t really going with the flow and as he pursued me, I pursued him. I began to leave God in the back seat a little bit. A majority of my prayers began to be solely focused on him. I would randomly smile as I thought of him. Most of my thoughts were of him. I was arousing love before it so desired as I permitted my heart to escape.The end of the story is that everything quickly faded and my heart was broken.

When God spoke these words to us, He knew that our hearts would run away with desires. He spends so much time nurturing us, healing us, and guarding us do you think He would entrust our heart to just any man? Absolutely Not! Our hearts remain protected by the feathers of His wings and He will not permit any damage to come to us. We are His darling girls and He adores us.

“Like a lily among thorns is my darling among the maidens.”
Songs of Songs 2:2

So ladies during this season protect your hearts and do not let yourselves stray too quickly with your emotions. Let the Father first speak these words, “Yes, my beloved, this man is worthy.” Until then, “Daughters of Jerusalem, I charge you…Do not arouse or awaken love until it so desires.”

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I Propose a…

November 26, 2009 By Leave a Comment

….Date….

Before you think anything, lets talk….

What do you think about, when you think about God?

That’s an ever present question in my mind. What do I think about when I think about God? There are so many facets to this question but let me focus on one.

Think about how we change when we begin to have feelings for someone or date someone. We get excited when we see them or when we talk to them. We tell our friends about the conversations we have and the special dates we went on together.Playground_love_girl_vertWe get the butterflies in our tummy…I know I sound like a little girl saying all this but let’s be serious, young or old we still feel this way when someone begins to tug at our hearts.

Now reflect on your relationship with Jesus. Is that tenderness in your heart for Him as prominent as it is when you’re in love? Do you think about Him all the time and smile uncontrollably? Do you find yourself getting giddy talking to your friends about the things he said to you? Do you get dressed up to meet Him at a secret place, quiet and intimate?

How we think about Him says everything about who He is to us…our relationship with Him. Can I honestly say I’m in love with God, say He’s the lover of my soul and be found bored with Him…not wanting to spend time with Him or allowing Him to be enough, when I know full well that He is more than enough. How does this reflect my love for Him? I’m not saying it’s wrong to desire a relationship, but when the desire for someone is greater than our longing for God we have to take a step back. There were seasons when I would be bored with Jesus…I loved Him I said but I wasn’t captivated. Then there were moments when I would be enamored by Him. The moment I realized my mediocre life with Him…my half hearted marriage…I needed to do something. I begged Him to place a longing so deep in my heart that I wouldn’t be able to contain myself. I wanted/want a longing that would burn everyday, not just every once in a while, but even in the dry seasons.

God said: “You have stolen my heart, my sister, my bride; you have stolen my heart with one glance of your eyes.” Song of Solomon 4:9

I will look upon the face of the Lord and melt for Him. He’s a big mush! Look at the words he speaks into our hearts. Let’s make Him feel as special as He makes us feel.

God put this in my heart and I hope you ladies will join me. I propose a date night with Jesus. Let’s pick one night (or day) out of the week and go out on a date with God. Let’s get all pretty, pick a secret spot, and just spend time with Him…a little different then our usual quiet time at home or in the park. Let’s sit across from Him over dinner or coffee and talk, laugh, or cry whatever you need to do. But let’s go out with Him and be enchanted. Come home with an uncontained smile, twirling through the streets. Let’s be immersed in His Love. So I hope you’ll join me then come back here to share your story…we would love to hear the of your first date with Jesus.

God Bless You Ladies…

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