My Valentine

Since Valentine's was yesterday I chose to do something that I can honestly say I don't do on February 14th every year! I decided to have a wonderful day! Crazy I know. It is easy as a single woman to turn to feelings of worthlessness, loneliness and sadness. However, just because that one area of my life is not exactly where I would like it to be, doesn't mean that I am incomplete. In fact I am overflowing with completeness. Not because of anything I have done. Oh no! Child, I am such an incredible screw up it is impossible for me to be complete-- without Jesus Christ that is! Because of my relationship with Jesus I am whole! He has drawn me up into His lap and taken me as His own. He is the creator of love. The ultimate pursuer. The one and only who has my heart in His hands and loves me unconditionally. He doesn't love me more or less when I treat Him bad ("This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.” -1 John 4:10). He doesn't love me stronger when I do things for Him. He isn't impressed by my works and services to Him (Ephesians 2:7-9 says "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.")!

He doesn't need me, but He chose me! He made me for one reason and one reason only-- to bring HIM glory. I was not created to be a teacher, or a worship leader, or a wife, or a mother, or a friend, or a camp counselor, or a sister, or a daughter... I was created to bring praise and honor to the Lord of Lords through those roles in my life! He fashioned me to radiate His goodness in a world that is in desperate need of a nightlight! He desired above all else for me to praise Him with my gifts and bring others to know my Lover because of those talents He blessed me with.

In a world where the "L" word is thrown around as simply and carelessly as a football at recess, unless you have seen agape love you don't know the true meaning of it! People LOVE their ice cream, they LOVE their cars, they LOVE their favorite movies and they LOVE songs on the radio! But what are they really feeling? Do they want to spend every moment with it? Are they satisfied by it completely? Do they desire to please it and yearn for its affection? No. So what we should say is... "Oh I really LIKE that candy. That outfit is cute. I LIKE it alot!" We should align our desires up with His desires and completely submit those to Him!

Because let's me honest: I LIKE sports, reading, traveling, singing, friendships and food.

But I LOVE: the opportunities I had while playing basketball to share Christ with others, reading my Beloved's love letters to me in His truth and learning more about Him each day, traveling to the nations to share the good news with people groups that have never even heard of Jesus, leading worship so that I can be used as a tool by our Father to help lead His child to the foot of the throne, and fellowshipping with other believers over dinner while being constantly stirred, challenged and refined!

So you aren't married. So you don't have a boyfriend. So you haven't even been on a date in over a year (shout-out haha). Life doesn't begin when all that happens. Life is what is going on right now! Life is what is going to continue to go on once you go on a date, or have a boyfriend or get married. There is a great book called Lady in Waiting and in it, it says: "A woman is not born a woman. Nor does she become one when she marries a man, bears a child and does their dirty linen, not even when she joins a women's liberation movement. A woman becomes a woman when she becomes what God wants her to be." How great is that? It is just constant reassurance that we are doing what we are doing because that is what God has called us and created us to do! So yes I long for the day when I hear that whisper tickle my ear from the Lord with the confirmation of "This is the one I have created for you to help do my Kingdom Work, Beloved"... but until then I will just continue to do my thing and help Jesus' name become like a wild fire. Out of control and taking over everything in it's path!