Don't Trade Your Bell (AKA:Jesus) for a Boy
My whole life I have watched people fall in love during college and get married soon after graduating. Most adults I knew as a child met their spouse in college or high school. I associated college with finding a spouse and living happily ever after.
Fast forward to 18 year old Carrie who believed she too would go to the magical Berry College and find her husband within the first semester. Still single after my freshman year, I became hopeful that sophomore year would bring more luck. I would grow more as a person and be that beautiful woman some handsome, tall, Jesus-loving man would want to be with forever.
I honestly worried that I wouldn't know what to do come graduation if I was still single. Here was my response when asked where I wanted to live after I graduated:
"Wherever my husband is"
Cute, right? More like crazy. I was in my freshman orientation class when I answered that get-to-know-you question. Guys, I had no boyfriend or prospect and I'm pretty sure it was before classes even started.
And here I am at 21 writing a blog about how that hasn't happened yet and I am okay with that.
Over the past two and a half years (and counting) the Lord has shown me the beauty of singleness, but I'm actually not going to expound on that today.
(I'm still compiling a list and figuring how to best say it all).
The other thing God reminds me of is far more important than a relationship status.
I am a daughter of the King. God knew me before my parents knew I was going to be born. It wasn't a surprise to Him. He gave me my family, my friends, my passions, my desires, my idiosyncrasies, and my future.
He also reminds me that a boyfriend, fiancé, husband, child, job, niece/nephew, etc. (I could go on for a couple of paragraphs) will not satisfy the need I have for God and God alone.
Somewhere in the back of my mind, I thought that perfect boy would complete me. News flash, Carrie: there is no such thing as a perfect boy. All the boys of this Earth and ravaged by sin, just like you.
Jesus loves you. He sacrificed himself for you. He took your punishment and made it his own so that you could be declared righteous. So you could be called a daughter of the King. You are wrapped in His unfailing, boundless love.
So, it is okay if you don't find your spouse in college or get married soon after graduating. God has a plan far superior to the one you could imagine.
You are loved by Him and you are His child.
Fast forward to 18 year old Carrie who believed she too would go to the magical Berry College and find her husband within the first semester. Still single after my freshman year, I became hopeful that sophomore year would bring more luck. I would grow more as a person and be that beautiful woman some handsome, tall, Jesus-loving man would want to be with forever.
I honestly worried that I wouldn't know what to do come graduation if I was still single. Here was my response when asked where I wanted to live after I graduated:
"Wherever my husband is"
Cute, right? More like crazy. I was in my freshman orientation class when I answered that get-to-know-you question. Guys, I had no boyfriend or prospect and I'm pretty sure it was before classes even started.
And here I am at 21 writing a blog about how that hasn't happened yet and I am okay with that.
Over the past two and a half years (and counting) the Lord has shown me the beauty of singleness, but I'm actually not going to expound on that today.
(I'm still compiling a list and figuring how to best say it all).
The other thing God reminds me of is far more important than a relationship status.
I am a daughter of the King. God knew me before my parents knew I was going to be born. It wasn't a surprise to Him. He gave me my family, my friends, my passions, my desires, my idiosyncrasies, and my future.
He also reminds me that a boyfriend, fiancé, husband, child, job, niece/nephew, etc. (I could go on for a couple of paragraphs) will not satisfy the need I have for God and God alone.
Somewhere in the back of my mind, I thought that perfect boy would complete me. News flash, Carrie: there is no such thing as a perfect boy. All the boys of this Earth and ravaged by sin, just like you.
Jesus loves you. He sacrificed himself for you. He took your punishment and made it his own so that you could be declared righteous. So you could be called a daughter of the King. You are wrapped in His unfailing, boundless love.
So, it is okay if you don't find your spouse in college or get married soon after graduating. God has a plan far superior to the one you could imagine.
You are loved by Him and you are His child.
Beautifully stated and supported as true! I am so glad my girls embrace singleness as a time to grow into the beautiful daughter of the King. Yes, I met your Dad at magical Berry before classes began, thus you thought the same would happen to you. Don't rush what God has for you, because His plan is always better and the best.
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