Two weeks went by with no phone call or text from Eric—the guy Lila had met at a friend’s housewarming. She had a whirlwind of questions racing through her mind: Why hadn’t she heard from him? The last month of getting to know each other felt promising—so what changed? Finally, she decided to call him. When he answered, he spoke as if not a day had passed, but there was something different in his voice. Lila could hear a woman’s laughter in the background. He quickly told her he’d call her later since he was out with a friend, but she never heard from him again.
After navigating a few of these ups and downs, it’s easy to feel tempted to lower our expectations about finding a solid partnership that will ultimately lead to marriage. Lila certainly felt that way. With her forty-fifth birthday around the corner, getting her hopes up after meeting Eric only to face another disappointment had her feeling stuck. “I’ve been asking God to bless me with a husband for so long. I just can’t do this anymore. I’m done,” she confessed, her frustration and sadness evident.
Ephesians 3:20 (NLT) tells us, “Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.” Our Heavenly Father specializes in blessing His people beyond what we can imagine, and He has repeatedly shown that He will far exceed our expectations. God can move on our behalf in the blink of an eye, shifting our entire worlds. In His perfect timing, He acts swiftly to demonstrate His love and goodness by answering our prayers. When He does, we come to realize just how perfect His timing is for everyone involved. In those moments, we acknowledge that we should have had faith and enjoyed our relationship with Him all along.
Our Heavenly Father’s love for us far exceeds any love we can imagine. As single Christian women, we are allowed to make our own mistakes in dating and relationships, and sometimes those mistakes can be deeply painful. God sees everything and knows our hearts. As Matthew 10:30 reminds us, He even knows the number of hairs on our heads. This verse reassures us that God knows us intimately—inside and out. He knows the best person for our lives, and we must humble ourselves under His wisdom and seek His guidance until He brings this person into our lives.
As Ephesians 5:15 (NLT) tells us, “So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise.” This instruction is designed to help us make better choices. It’s simple and straightforward because that’s how our loving Father communicates. He’s saying, “Don’t be foolish! Pay attention to the signs. Wait until you have a clear understanding of what’s really going on.” We need to seek God for this insight and trust that He will reveal the truth. Then, we should be wise enough to follow His guidance.
Protect your emotional resources and don’t waste time on relationships or people that won’t enrich your life. You are precious to God, and He wants to care for you. He tells us in Proverbs 3:5 not to rely solely on our own understanding in this critical area of our lives—lean on God instead. Rather than placing your high expectations on another person, invest them in your relationship with Him. He never disappoints, and in His perfect timing, He’ll bring the exceedingly abundantly into your life. ■
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.
“Beyond Our Expectations”, written by Kim Times, edited by Rev. Fran Mack and KLizzie for Sundie Morning Sistas ©2024. All rights reserved. All done to the glory of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord! SMS is dedicated to inspiring and encouraging Christian Women through the Word of God.