Patience has never been something easy for me...and I can honestly say that it is not an easy thing for most people. But, of all the virtues noted in the Bible, this is one which God mentions very frequently (probably because He knows that we will struggle with it).
I find that in the current times, with society being so incredibly focused on me first- me now, it is even more difficult to exercise patience. But exercise it, we must, after all we are told to "wait upon the Lord, be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord." (Psalm 27:13) God told His people many times throughout the Old and New Testaments to wait...wait for Him, that by waiting (and through constant prayer), we would renew our strength in Him. This is especially true for me.
You see, I continue to wait and (try diligently) to be patient for that special guy who is destined to be my mate and I his...and it gets tougher each year that I get older. Over the last several years, I have had to let go of a number of dreams with regards to family which I had held onto since I was a little girl. For example, having a lot of children, having a golden anniversary (50 years), being married only once and growing old with that person. Now, of course, many of these things can still happen for me, and I do take heart in that fact daily. I pray each day that God would prepare a good, Christian man to be my husband and that when our hearts are ready, that He will bring us together. An excellent prayer and a diligent one...but it doesn't change the fact that I still struggle with being single many days.
A week or so ago, I had a reallytough evening dealing with this issue. That weekend, I had gone to a friend's surprise birthday party which her husband had arranged for her, and a few weeks before that I had received a wedding invitation for one of my younger sister's best friends. I guess these two events just brought everything to a head for me, and I sat in the car wondering if I would ever have moments like these. Would I ever have a wedding to celebrate (the first one was done by a preacher but without all of the ceremony) ? Would there ever be a special man in my life, one who loves me to distraction, who thinks I am beautiful inside and out, and for whom I am his desire?
A good friend told me the other day that yes, one day these things will happen for me. He gave me a hug, and told me that there would one day be a special guy in my life, one who would love me completely, who would treasure and cherish me. He comforted me and held me close until the tears stopped. He also told me that I needed to expand the environments in which I traveled.
I took heart in his words that night and realized that he was right, so I have been doing that for the last several days and continuing to pray and wait. So, I continue to take hope that one day God will bring that special man into my life (and He may already have...but our hearts may not be ready yet) and that when our hearts are ready...
So, I continue to work on my patience while waiting on the Lord and knowing that one day, He will bring a special man into my heart...when our hearts are ready.
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"Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience." (Colossians 3:12)
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