It’s messy. The whole does-he-like-me-does-he-not-like-me saga of singleness. The constant questioning of how much to put yourself out there vs. wait to be pursued. The getting-your-hopes-up-only-to-be-let-down-once-again.
I’ll never forget the moment walking back down that aisle on my wedding day. “Never again,” I thought. Never again would I have to traverse the wilderness that is singleness and dating. I felt like Noah stepping out of the ark onto dry land after the flood. It was like the greatest burden had been lifted from my heart.
But can I let you in on something? Marriage can be way messier than anything we experience waiting in singleness.
It didn’t take long for me to realize that marriage was not going to be the fairy-tale ending I thought it might be. Even with a man who is truly after God’s heart and who I believe to be God’s absolute best for me, it’s still messy. So you can imagine how messy it might be for those who don’t wait for God’s best.
If you are single and feeling weary in the wait, here’s my encouragement to you:
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Wait well.
And by wait well, I mean wait like you mean it! Wait knowing you are waiting in purpose. Because you are. It’s no accident that God has you where you are. In the waiting, He is working—behind the scenes in your life and that of your future spouse. Wait intentionally—seeking to become the woman (or man) God created you to be.
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Choose wisely.
Choose a partner you want to do all of life with—the fun parts and the not-so-fun parts. There will be unexpected storms that hit (John 16:33). Choose someone you want to weather them with. Choose someone you want to raise children with. Choose someone who will lead you in faith through all of it.
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Find hope.
In both singleness and your future marriage, find hope that The Wedding Day is coming—the day you will find ultimate relief and feel the greatest burden lifted as you step into perfect union with your True Bridegroom in Jesus.
I could not be more grateful for the gift of marriage. But the imperfection of it—all the ways it has not lived up to my idealistic expectations—points me to and reminds me of The Marriage that is to come—when all that was broken in the Garden is restored to God’s original design.⠀⠀
One day a man on a white horse will ride in and sweep us off our feet in The Happily-Ever-After-Ending-to-end-all-happy-endings.
One day our hearts will feel lighter than they’ve ever felt as the burdens and weights of this world are forever lifted.
One day we will live out this beautiful ending to the most epic Fairy Tale ever written.⠀⠀
Never again will we wonder.
Never again will we wander.
Never again will we wait.
Let us allow this Love Story to fill us with hope and guide us in wisdom as we seek to model our own earthly love stories after it.
