Hebrews 11:1(NLT)
“Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see.”
I was in the grocery store the other day and while checking out, I noticed a woman in her senior years next to me. A man approached her and questioned if she was indeed who he thought, but she didn’t recognize him until he said, “I know you from church.” As they continued their conversation, I heard him ask if he could call her sometime. He then proceeded to carry her grocery as they walked out of the store. I thought to myself that no matter what age you are, companionship, and having someone to help you, is a gift we should always be extremely thankful to give and to receive.
The desire for partnership never grows old, but our level of gratitude and attitude of faith sometimes does. Many singles are becoming increasingly frustrated with dating and losing hope in the whole idea of marriage. It has been challenging to meet someone compatible, and this is especially true for many mature and seasoned sisters in the Lord. Some of them have forgotten the kindnesses that are extended in partnership, and they have allowed themselves to stop thanking God in faith to have it in their lives again.
Things change as the years go by. Our focuses are rerouted, and our time is occupied with self-care in a way that it wasn’t in the past. Companionship doesn’t hold the same meaning as it once did, and we can become so set in our ways that mentally and emotionally, the vigor and energy for entertaining newness fizzles out. Men can pick up on this, and sometimes the energy we’re putting out there isn’t appealing.
God tells us in Philippians 4:6(NLT), “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.” Faith requires us to think and feel a certain way. Faith is assurance. It’s the title deed to what we have prayed to receive. It’s not a kid-in-a-candy-store mentality. It’s a confidence that we are meeting God in the place of His provision because He is good, and He wants to give us good things. He wants to bless us because we are good ground on which His blessings will land. Many women of a certain age stop believing that they are good ground. They don’t see themselves as the gift that they are, and when they don’t see themselves that way, they can’t convey that feeling, thinking, and being to anyone else.
1John 5:4(NLT) tells us, “For every child of God defeats this evil world, and we achieve this victory through our faith.” There is no question that marriage is a beautiful thing, but it requires us to meet it with that same beauty. It’s not about the physical, but the spiritual. God created us to be spiritual beings that are housed in a body, but the real beauty is what’s inside us. We have to believe this in faith. We have to be excited about who God has made us and carry that excitement with us everywhere we go.
The truth is that wherever we are in our walk with Jesus Christ, faith is required to see any kind of movement in our situation. Victory in any and every aspect of life is achieved through our faith, not through our looks or anything else. God has always been invested in us and the quality of our lives. Romans 8:32(NLT) tells us, “Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else?” God wants us to grow in Him through our faith so that every relationship we have will flourish through His love. He wants newness to continuously blossom throughout every aspect of our existences. Whether we live up to this is completely left to us, but it is available through Christ, and we are commanded to believe it. Trust that God desires you to have a beautiful companionship, and be thankful that you are as much of a gift to the man that God sends as this man will be to you.■
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
“The Desire for Partnership Never Grows Old”, written by Kim Times, edited by Fran Mack and K. Stephens for Sundie Morning Sistas ©2023. All rights reserved. All done to the glory of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord!