I haven't written in a long time, much to the
disappointment of my future self who will surely look back at this period in my
life and grunt—yes, grunt—because of
my failure to keep record of God’s challenging, rewarding, love-filled path for
my life.
Friendships God has continued to bless me with amazing
people in my life. Off the top of my
head I can name several friends that have decided
to invest in me. I feel so love and
encouraged by our time together. God has
also brought a few people back into my life who I believed were long gone,
mending and fixing those relationships I had deemed lost. I can’t justly describe the friendships He’s woven
into the thread of my life. Just that
they’re there. And I love them.
Dating No one has pursued me since the end of the
One Year Challenge. Disappointing to
some, but to me a testament to God that my attitude is so different from what
it was years ago. The bondage that once
held me is gone, and while I am excited for God’s possible plan of marriage in
my life, I am equally, if not more, excited for this time in my life. Having
time to invest and pour into the lives of others, and having time for others to
invest in me. This stage in my life has
been great, and I’m enjoying it for all that it is. I’m resting in God, in that place where I am
truly satisfied if He’s the only husband I’ll ever have. I spend every day as if I’m already
married. I am overjoyed and full of love
resting in Him and spend every day pursuing His will for my life. When that day comes, when I have a husband
who is confident, who is a leader, who disciples young men, who serves others,
who makes me laugh uncontrollably, and has his faults—I’ll praise God that day
for another gift, for it will be one
blessing to add to the many others He has already given me (including the gift
of singleness).
Big life decisions On April 3, I will be sobbing, I’m sure. Ending a chapter of my life—an instrumental
chapter. Relationships will be
changed. The trajectory of my very life
may be changed. I’m excited. I’m terrified. I’m happy.
And sad. So many emotions at once
and I can’t even give God enough glory for this opportunity.
Family Mom, Dad, and Brother are no closer to Christ
than they were months ago. This bothers
me and saddens me, and I pray that God releases me of the guilt I feel and that
it is in His plan for them to know Him.
I pray that I see them in Heaven, smiling as we worship. It’s a dream that I hold onto, every day
trying to release it into the hands of Abba.
Dinners I have invested time and money learning to
cook. For Lent, I gave up eating
out. And, with the exception of Sundays,
which is viewed as a celebratory day, I have been eating at home. Which has been great just as is—but it’s even
sweeter, because it’s propelled me into opening my home, having others over,
and creating an atmosphere for intimacy that would not happen in restaurants. These people see my home, see my life, and
know that I have invested time and money into serving them. Serving.
Serving is so important. And it
has meant so much to have people over after a long day of work, cooking for
them, and them not having to lift a finger.
Not to mention, it’s healthier and cheaper than eating out.
Jamie I read so much and so often. My mind is constantly moving, thinking. There is so much more I still want. Some Jamie goals that I have:
·
Find an older woman to disciple me
·
Grow enough to be able to disciple young women
·
Learn to take care of myself
·
Release my idol of materialism
·
Be a woman who, when other women are struggling,
they feel like they can come to me, because of my closeness to Christ
·
Be a woman who pursues Christ daily, not just
His children
·
Be a woman who reads His Word daily
·
Daily quiet time and devotion time
·
Continuing to treat my body as a temple
·
Surround myself in groups of believers
·
Hang out with non-believers
At the end of my life, granted by God I live till I’m 80,
what I want to see is a life lived as a servant to others. As a useful
servant of Christ, having relinquished my rights on a daily basis.
I look at the older women I admire. What do they look like?
They can’t speak without scripture flowing from their
lips. They fight to honor and respect
their husbands. They host gatherings and
cook dinners. They disciple young
women. They have groups centered around
prayer. They seek out younger
women. They serve their community. They fight to feel the love of Christ. They evangelize. They pursue.
They let themselves be used by God for God.
The easiest way to figure out what you want to do with
your life is to figure out who you want to be at the end of it.
