Recently I’ve been having these reoccurring thoughts about being in a relationship. Now would probably be a good time to let you know that I completely trust God and His plans for my life.
I made that decision 5 minutes ago.
And yesterday.
And last year.
Let’s face it, we struggle with letting God hold our futures, and I think it all stems from love.
As we walk through this time of singleness, we often question if God even sees us, and some of us take issue with His sovereign plan. I mean apparently He’s not blind, He knows that day in and day out we long to be walking down the beach, hand-in-hand with an intelligent, young, God-fearing supermodel with blonde highlights, while sipping on virgin margaritas, and making toasts to seashells.
While dreaming of our future spouse is not inherently a bad thing, it begs the question:
Are we in love with God or are we in love with what God can give us?
For years I called myself a devout Christian. I would’ve told anyone that I was madly in love with Christ. However I would frequently put more time and energy into pursing a relationship with a girl rather than a relationship with Christ.
To be honest, I was idolizing a Godly girl instead of God, and it took an unforeseen hit to my walk with Christ. I know from experience that during this time of idolizing a relationship I had no breakthrough in my spiritual battles.
God wanted to shower me in His indescribable love, and I was more concerned with writing a supernatural dating bucket list.
Once I started taking my thoughts captive and replacing an idol with an authentic love for God it became easier to let go of obsessing over my future.
What we must realize is that God cannot give us a relationship that we will cherish more than our relationship with Him. If we truly fall in love with Christ and put away our own desires then, and only then, will we able to unlock the future that God has for us.
If God only wants the best for His children, why would He give us our number one desire if it were anything but Him?
A single day in your courts is better than a thousand anywhere else! I would rather be a gatekeeper in the house of my God than live the good life in the homes of the wicked. For the Lord God is our sun and our shield. He gives us grace and glory. The Lord will withhold no good thing from those who do what is right. {Psalm 84:10-11, ESV}
A student pastor who’s on a budget, Daniel Maddry is full of tips for saving money on drinks at Starbucks. For instance, if you get a grande iced coffee + white mocha, it’s $2 cheaper than espresso and white mocha and it’s virtually the same drink. {You’re welcome for that.} Daniel plagues serious moments with jokes, loves Swedish clothes and furniture, and is still waiting on Hillsong to drop a dubstep album. You can follow him on Twitter @danielmaddry.
*Photo credit: virtualphotographystudio
