The Waiting Game.

If there ever was such a board game called “The Waiting Game” I’d be a pro at it by now. Well…. I take it back. I might not be a pro, because I’ve received my fair share of penalties, but I would be well experienced to say the least. There are so many weddings for me to attend this summer and as a single person it’s like running a triathlon. From dresses to buy and showers to attend to RSVP cards with no plus one; it’s a constant battle to not get discouraged.

There are so many times in the Bible that God talks about blessings for those who wait on the Lord. The most recent time this biblical encouragement came to my door step was yesterday.
In Psalm 31: 23-24 it states. “Love the Lord, all you his saints! The Lord preserves the faithful and abundantly repays the one who acts in pride. Be strong, and let your heart take courage, all you who wait for the Lord.”

Well here I am taking courage. I am finding strength and hope in the promise of God.

As I look back on my “dating adventures” I am grateful for where I am now. Waiting…. It is such a freeing word. The world calls this time in my life single and sees it as a license to date around and find out what’s out there. I realize that everyone’s convictions and ideals are different but God has really shown me the path he has chosen for me to take during this time. I am single, yes, but more than that I am waiting.

Waiting, just as the Israelites waited for the coming Messiah. Comparing their waiting game to mine reveals loads of similarities; there were moments of hope and moments of despair. At times it seemed that God had forgotten them and left them for slavery in Egypt. After being delivred from Egypt, each profit brought them new sparks of hope. At times they went through hardships, some of them were lead astray by their own desires, and some even chose to follow foreign idols only to realize later these idols were not their redeemer.

But the part of the Israelites story that I find most hope in is the coming of Jesus, their long awaited Messiah. He wasn’t what they expected at all and it took them a while to realize who was in their midst. He loved them with a passion they didn’t deserve, lead them in a way they hadn’t anticipate, protected them from things they couldn’t see, and provided them with things they couldn’t even dream of.

So I am proud to be waiting. I don’t want to me lead astray, by giving tiny parts of my heart away, or date loads of guys to find the right one. I want to wait for the one who will be something I didn’t expect, deserve, or anticipate. I want the one God has planned for me, the one who will pursue me because it’s what God wants him to do, not just what’s convenient. So in this waiting game there really is only one way for me to win, and I plan on winning.