Where God's Word Meets Our Mess
You were sure that this was going to be your year for finding true love. You were determined that you wouldn’t spend this Christmas alone. You thought you would definitely have someone to kiss under the mistletoe in 2020. But you wonder if you’ve lost your chance at finding someone to spend the rest of your life with.
You hear all the cheery greetings. You read them on cards, see them on decorations, and hear them in songs. And you feel all the emotions—both good and bad—that are attached to them.
But one thing hasn’t changed in five years: I still want to be a writer. And honestly, there's enormous hidden pressure on me to get a book deal, see my name on the front cover, and be famous. This pressure doesn’t come from my parents, sisters, or friends. It comes from my Try-Harder Self—and she’s the dogmatic, degrading, and demanding type.
Did I wish that I'd had a guy to sit next to during the fancy meal? Did I feel a little awkward as I danced beside my girlfriends during the slow dance? Did I think about the handsome guy on the dancefloor who was dancing oh-so-closely with his girlfriend? Yes, yes, and yes. But I survived, and you can survive, too. I truly believe that you can still enjoy your life, even without Prince Charming next to you.
Originally, I wanted these words to be song lyrics but then realized that they could become a poem. And as you read them, I want you to know that they're not just fluffy filler words. These words describe how I often fail and how I often feel as a result—but they also describe how faithful God is to forgive me. So while I'm not advocating habitual sin in this poem, I am advocating habitual returning to God's forgiveness.
In 2018 and 2019, I wrote about some things I wasn't thankful for at Thanksgiving. This Thanksgiving, there's one more thing I'm not thankful for that I want to share. I bet you can guess what it is.
Don’t worry—I’m not going to tell you that you’re loved or wanted or valuable whether you have a boyfriend or not. You’ve heard those things a hundred times and already know that those things are true. Instead, I’m going to tell you that it's okay to cry, vent, and even scream if you need to. But I also want you to exhale.
If you grew up in church, you’ve probably heard the song “Amazing Grace” more times than you can count. It’s definitely a staple hymn, yet there have been so many versions and renditions of it produced. Honestly, over the years, the words of this hymn have lost their meaning for me. Actually, the words never really felt meaningful to me.
Even though I wrote a post about unfulfilled longings recently, I deleted it because I was scared. I thought that I didn’t have enough Bible verses to back up my main points, and I feared the errancy in my words. Though I made the post disappear, my unsatisfied longings didn’t disappear. The deep-in-my-soul aches persisted. But so did He.
Tizzie's Tidbits of Truth 