Ah, Valentine’s Day doth approacheth.
Which makes all the lovely yet single fair maidens wonder: where are the shining knights meant to rescue them from their unmarried state?
After all, the fairy tales are very clear: knight in shining armor rides in on white horse, saves yon fair maiden, there’s a wedding, and let flowery music commence as the happy couple ride into the sunset.
Here’s the thing, though: we, the fair maidens committed to waiting for “Prince Charming”…..well, um…..we’re still waiting.
And all the hype about Valentine’s Day makes that waiting just a wee bit harder.
I, for one, have a love/hate relationship with Valentine’s. Why? Well, the decor and flowers and Hallmark movies and chocolate are all very thrilling and sweet– desirable, even. But you only get to fully appreciate the romance of them when you’re “a couple”. And when you’ve never been “a couple”, nor have any prospects in the way of possibly eventually being part of “a couple”–well, the whole “Happy Valentine’s Day” rigamarole is actually quite discouraging and depressing.
Don’t get me wrong–I love a good love story. And I’m all for waiting for the husband God has for me. It’s just that sometimes I get lonely for him. I wonder where he is, if he’s well, is he dreading Feb. 14th as much as myself, does he sometimes wish he could give me a dozen red roses and a heart-shaped box filled with chocolates? (I’m wishing, even if he’s not š )
And that’s when the loneliness sets in.
The “I’m-so-lonely-and-single-I’m-never-going-to-meet-someone-and-I’ll-wind-up-an-unmarried-old-biddy-in-a-nursing-home” lie straight from the devil himself.
The devil wants us more focused on our relationship status than on Christ. He wants us to be lonely and sad and on edge. He loves nothing better than to get us, as lonely hearts, down in the depths of despairĀ because Alas! we’ve no significant other.
But God doesn’t.
He wants us to rejoice in Him, to be happy and joyful because He is the satisfaction for which we long in the depths of our hearts. He is the companionship and the listening ear, the love and the excitement in your life right now, single girl. And until you accept Him as the fulfillment of all your dreams and hopes and longings, orchestration of your ‘happily-ever-after’ is going to take awhile.
This time of singleness is a gift. And all those moments of loneliness that comes with being single?
They’re gifts too.
Because in those moments of despair, God is there. He is greater still. He is waiting with open arms to love you the way you long to be loved.
Those heart-longings–physical, emotional, or anything else–are only a sign of your true longing for God Himself.
So why hide yourself from Him? Why cut yourself off from theĀ greatest Love of your life? These single years are a time when you have God all to yourself. You don’t have to go cook hubby’s supper or do the wash, or wipe a wee one’s runny nose. You can snuggle down with your Bible and delve into the treasure trove of promises that God has written to you in His Word, without distraction. (see 1 Corinthians 7:34-35)
So yes, it is a time of hearts and love and romance, and yes, I wish that I could be sharing it with my feller.
But one of God’s promises is that He’ll always give me what I need, not a moment sooner or later than when I need it.
Hearts for Purity 