Grandparents are world famous for being unapologetically proud of their grandkids. This Milly is “one of those.”
My grands (just like yours, if you’re a grandparent) are adorable, funny, smart, multi-talented, and so on.
One of the things I feel most proud of is when one of the kids says something especially wise for his or her age. Their parents, teachers, church family, and grandparents pour into their little hearts, and you begin to wonder if anything even sticks. Then “out of the mouths of babes…”
Our oldest grandgirl Everly is twelve years old. Some of the girls in her circle (including her) have already dabbled in the “crush” stage of liking boys. So when we talked about plans for next summer, I jokingly teased her about a possible “summer love.” To which she (wisely) replied, “No thanks. I’m happy just being a ‘single Pringle.’”
Well, alrighty, then.
When you’re twelve, being a “single Pringle” is a good thing. But what happens when you hit your late 20’s, 30’s, 40’s, and being a “single Pringle” was never on your bingo card? What do you do with the God-given desire to be married and have a family? How do you handle it when the godly spouse you’ve prayed and prayed for still hasn’t shown up?
I have a prayer list of beautiful women who love Jesus and who are waiting on the Lord to provide a Jesus-loving husband. They’re not sitting around idly. These women surround themselves with great community, they work at jobs where their talents are appreciated and God is honored by their integrity and excellence, and they actively and joyfully serve Him and His church. They practice hospitality and nurture a gentle and quiet spirit. They’re truly lovely – inside and out.
And yet at different times, they may still struggle with loneliness, a broken heart, disappointment, envy, fear, and a host of other emotions. This isn’t how they imagined life would be.
Your particular longing may have nothing to do with waiting on God’s man or woman. You may have the great marriage, but the longing for a child has yet to be met. Maybe it’s an elusive career goal that always seems to be just around the corner or strife in a family relationship that you wish and pray would resolve itself. Maybe you long to be released from a physical challenge such as a chronic illness or disability.
Our God-honoring desires may take longer to be fulfilled than we would like. Or – hard as it is to consider – God, in a wisdom beyond our understanding, may not bring our dreams to fruition “in the land of the living.”
In the waiting – whether it’s a few days or a few years or a lifetime – we have a choice to make. Will we allow God to be enough?
My friends, the Father made you, He knows you, and He loves you with an unfathomably deep love. He’s our Hope, our Constant, and our Comforter when things don’t turn out as we’ve always imagined they would.
In your deepest longings and most heartfelt desires, may you discover the truth that God is enough and He’s just as trustworthy in the “not yet” as He is in the moment when “faith is made sight.”
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Almighty God, Your Word promises that nothing is impossible with You and that those who seek You lack no good thing. Thank You that even when I don’t see or understand what You’re doing or allowing, I can trust that You’re working all things together for my good. Thank You for being my Refuge and Strength. I can run to Your arms and rest in the safety and security found there. Father, “even if” my circumstances don’t change or my desires and longings aren’t met, I pledge my faithfulness to You. I’ll trust in You with all my heart and lean not on my own understanding, knowing that as I acknowledge You in all my ways, You’ll make my paths straight. I believe that no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what You’ve prepared for me. Thank You in Jesus’ beautiful Name, amen. (Luke 1:35, Psalm 34:10, Romans 8:28, Psalm 46:1, Daniel 3:17-18, Proverbs 3:5-6, 1 Corinthians 2:9)
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Thank you for joining in this week’s Scripture memory challenge as we commit to our hearts and minds Psalm 100. This week, we’re adding verse 3 to last week’s passage of Psalm 100:1-2.
“Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth! Serve the Lord with gladness! Come into His presence with singing! Know that the Lord, He is God! It is He Who made us, and we are His; We are His people, and the sheep of His pasture.” - Psalm 100:1-3 (ESV)
