Dear Sister, Stay True

 

“Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stay true to the Lord. I love you and long to see you, dear friends, for you are my joy and the crown I receive for my work.” Philippians 4:1

Dear Sister,

Life happens. Faith is tested. God is questioned. Faith waivers. Isn’t it amazing that we are told to stay true to the Lord?

The reality is… we expect God to stay true to us all the time, but we put conditions on us staying true to Him. Things don’t go as WE plan and all of a sudden the Lord’s ways and character are questioned.

Staying true to the Lord means keeping our eyes on Christ. Even in the midst of “I didn’t get the promotion I wanted; No one will hire me; I’m in my mid 20’s, 30’s, 40’s and still don’t see my life partner in sight; I want to move out of mom’s house and have my own, but my finances are a whole different story! My financial situation is just a mess.” Stay true to the Lord.

Staying true to the Lord starts with our perspective. Colossians 3 tells us to set and keep our eyes on the things of heaven, where Christ sits, and not the things of earth. There is something unexplainable that happens when we focus on God and not our current frustrations or disbeliefs; things start to shift. Ok, you didn’t get the promotion you were seeking, but you can praise God for the job you have! You’re struggling financially and moved back with mom and dad or with a relative, but you’re not on the street. Maybe you lost your car, well thank God for Uber!…just a little bit of serious humor for you.

It’s amazing how grateful you get when your eyes are locked on God’s goodness. One of my favorite hymns says “Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in His wonderful face; and the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace.”

My prayer for you: Father, thank you for the beautiful soul that is reading this. Whatever “life happens” moment that they are in, I ask for a steady heart. May they have a new hunger for Your Word and a transformed perspective because of Your glorious light that shines from within it. In Jesus name, Amen.

 

Love,

Shantae

Dear Sister, I’m Married, Now What?

Dear Sister,

I’m married.

After a five-year relationship that ended in a failed two-year engagement.

After spending another few years chasing after everything but God.

After ceasing to run and actually letting God change me.

After waiting and watching others move on to become wives and mothers, and learning to celebrate them instead of being envious.

I’m FINALLY married… now what?

Well, I adore my husband, but life does not begin or end with him. It STILL begins and ends with God, and it always will.

I wish I could tell the me from years ago to let go and enjoy life, because the desires of my heart are God’s responsibilities and not mine. That just because I have a warm body in my bed at night, doesn’t mean I’ll never feel lonely again. That just because I married the man of my dreams doesn’t mean I’ll never feel unfulfilled again. That just because I have someone cheering me on everyday, doesn’t mean I’ll never doubt myself again.

I once made the mistake of thinking that life would be “fixed” once I met my soulmate. Thankfully, God took me through a solid season of singleness to prove that life was already fixed. Today I am absolutely grateful that God took me through that season. I’m reminded of that season when my husband has to work out of town for days at a time, leaving me in a new city to fend for myself. Or when he wants to do something manly that I have absolutely no interest in. Or when I want to do something girly that he has absolutely no interest in. Or when I have to step out and befriend others, because I just want to fellowship with someone other than him.

If you are currently waiting on God for your spouse, I challenge you to relax. Because, once you get married there will be new challenges, new desires, new goals and the method will be the same: TRUSTING GOD. Sure, you’ll have a husband to achieve those with, but you won’t want to make the mistake of thinking that he is the source of your joy.

Learn to live now without a husband, so you can truly know how to live with him. Learn how to appreciate moments alone as much as you desire to enjoy moments with your future husband. Learn how to enjoy life with just you and God, so you don’t wake up after “I do” thinking, “Now what?”

Love,

Armeka