Where God's Word Meets Our Mess
True confession—it’s difficult to not covet my friends’ marriages. Even though I know coveting is a sin, I succumb to this temptation far too often. God’s Word is clear about not coveting what other people have, but how can we avoid it?
If you’ve ever seen the movie Tangled, you can probably recall the amusing song “I’ve Got a Dream” that Rapunzel and several other characters sing about their personal aspirations. The song’s message is simple: Everyone has a dream, and every dream is special no matter how unconventional or unrealistic it is. It’s not unusual to hear or read similar messages from Christians. But even though many Christians emphasize the importance of having (and chasing) their dreams, God’s Word doesn’t.
I know that you wonder if one day—someday—all of the eye pain, neck pain, and back pain will pay off. If the 45-minute commute, the horrendous traffic, and the interstate driving will pay off. If the long, lonely hours of staring at a screen trapped inside white prison walls will pay off.
Others have done what I want to do—become a traditionally published young author of a nonfiction Christian book. Honestly, I envy them. I want their success. But for now, I’m an almost-graduated college student without a published book. And those authors are living my dream.
In Christian culture, it seems like everyone advocates the practice of writing letters to our future husbands. I get it—it seems like a harmless way to connect the souls of two people who haven’t met yet. And what girl doesn't love to daydream about Prince Charming? But unfortunately, that may be what your letters to your future husband become—daydream sessions.
So my promise for this post is that I won't give you any cookie-cutter answers. No wearing plastic smiles, hiding behind masks, or slapping Band-Aids on our broken hearts. Just real answers for our real doubts about why we've never had real relationships.
If God is my everything, I don’t need anything. I don’t need a date for Friday night. I don’t need a boyfriend who buys me flowers. I don’t need a husband who holds me in his arms. And I don’t need Four. Because I have Him.
Then all I can do is wait until I hear back from the next publication. Stay in my current season of life and busy myself with other activities. Rest in the fact that God is still in control and that He sees my disappointment. But society would tell me to do exactly the opposite.
I have a friend, Taylor*, who always wants to do the next exciting thing in her life but never seems to be content in the present. When she started high school, she wanted to find a boyfriend. When she found a boyfriend, she wanted to get her driver’s license. When she got her driver’s license, she wanted to get married. I've struggled to understand why Taylor always seems so eager to move onto the next thing—until I realized that I'm a lot like her.
Tizzie's Tidbits of Truth 