On Waiting

The other day as I looked over my blog it occurred to me that some people may not see my title, "Maiden in Waiting", the way I do. I often wonder what a guy would think if he were to see it. Would he think I am this lonely girl who thinks life doesn't start until I am married? Would he think my whole life's goal is to become some man's wife? That sounds a little shallow.

But that's not the way it is. When I think of the term waiting, I think of the true meaning of it. I guess you can say the best way to put it is: waiting not dating. I have chose to wait on the man God wants me to marry instead of dating any Christian guy who comes along. By waiting I am not taking matters into my own hands and figuring things out for myself. I am not playing the fields.

But my life still goes on. I try to stay active at work, home, and at church. I'm not going to wait for marriage to start serving God and enjoying life to the fullest. I'm trying to do that now.

And then there is the other side of waiting that I am looking forward too more and more every day. I can't wait for the day that God calls me home to be with Him in heaven. The day of the Lord's return will be the end of all my sorrows and failures and the beginning of a life truly lived for God's glory and honor. That is what I'm waiting for! A life fulfilled through Christ!

My Man

My man. When you hear those words I'm sure lots of things come to your mind, namely, what you want in your man. Doesn't every girl have a list of desires they want in their future husband? Things like Christian, handsome, kind, tall, gentleman, romantic . . . we could go on and on! Whether you want to admit it or not, all of those things are probably what you really do want! Who doesn't want a handsome husband?

As for me, I made my "list" when I was 12 years old! Underneath the title "What I want in my Prince Charming" I wrote 23 requirements or dreams that I hoped my man would have. Some of them are very reasonable such as

• loves God
• not lazy
• faithful to church
• wants lots of children

But then there are some that aren't quite as reasonable, like "never forgets our anniversary"! I'm starting to think that finding a man who will remember our anniversary isn't quite that important. : )
Lately I've come to realize just how important it is to have those "wish lists". It was fun to think about what we wanted in a husband when we were younger because they seemed reachable. Finding a godly husband didn't seem impossible back then because we had so much time. But when we turn 18, 20, or even 23, we start to get a little desperate. We start thinking that maybe our standards are too strict or our wish list is too conservative. It is especially hard when we are around attractive men who don't meet our requirements. Flattery can be very tempting to accept from the opposite gender when you've never been given that kind of attention, even if that man isn't a Christian.
So today I thought I would write about what should be on those wish lists. (That was just the introduction!) These inspirations were given by God during a sermon my pastor preached a few months ago.
Prayer Warrior
Our first example is Daniel. One of the things he is known for is his prayer life. In the Bible we can read about the time prayer was banned from the city except for prayer directed to king Nebucanezar. (Banning prayer from the schools is nothing new! They were banning prayer way back then as well.) Daniel could have been fearful for his life and prayed in secret, but he wasn't afraid . . . or at least he didn't show his fear. He continued to pray three times a day in front of everyone unashamed! A husband like him will always go to God when our family has needs or hard times come. We should desire a husband who is a mighty prayer warrior like Daniel.
Protective Father and Husband
I think we can all agree that Noah was very protective. When God told him to build an ark, Noah obeyed and took his family with him. He separated himself and his family from the wicked world and spared not just their life, but also their spiritual life. Of course, it was God who actually spared them, but Noah played a big part in the picture by being obedient. Make sure you marry a man who will protect your family from the harm of this world!
Obedient to God
Abraham was tested by obedience like no other man I've read about in the Bible. When God told him to move away from his family - he did it. When God told him to sacrifice his son- he was going to do it until God spared him from such pain. This is a hard thing to ask for in a husband! Sometimes I'm not so sure if I want a husband who is that obedient! I don't expect God to tell me or my future husband to kill one of our children, but God could really test our obedience and we really should obey. All joking aside, I want a husband who is very obedient to God's word.
Strong
Okay, I'm not talking about muscles or the ability to carry heavy sacks of feed on his shoulder (although it would be nice to have such a strong husband!) I was thinking more along the lines of strength of spirit. The man who comes to mind is Job. He was strong! After loosing everything - children, cattle, servants, his income, health - he worshipped God! He didn't give up, he didn't stop serving God, he kept on fighting the good fight! Everyone goes through trials in life, having a husband who knows how to make it through them will be a blessing you could never thank God enough for! We need a husband like Job.
These are just a few of the many characteristics we find in the Bible. We could name many more, but for now I think these will do. If you really desire to marry a man who is pleasing unto God you can dig in to the Word of God and find out what God wants for you and your husband.
And finally I'll leave you with a verse that has encouraged me for a long time.“Trust in the LORD and do good. . . Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.” Psalms 37:3-4 For after all, our desire should not be to marry the perfect man, but to marry the man who God has ordained perfect for us. Now that's my kind of man!

From the Eyes of Experiance

I have always loved Psalms 37:4. "Delight thyself in the LORD also; and He shall give thee the desires of thine heart." At first glance I feel guilty for admitting this because I am afraid those who read this might think it is selfish of me, as if I am only concerned with what God can do for me. But it is actually nothing like that.

When I was young God gave me a desire to marry a Christian man who was DEVOTED to God. I don't want a man who has shallow faith and beliefs. I want to give my heart to some one who will show our children how to be real Christians and know how to please God. That only comes from example!

At times it seemed like there weren't any young men like I just described. Some would even try to discourage me and make me think that I would have to marry whoever was "best" out of the bunch, but not necessarily the man like I wanted.

That's when I discovered Psalms 37:4! It was so sweet to my ears! I almost used this verse in defence as if to say, "See! I told you God would let me marry a great Christian man! The Bible says so!" Was I adding words in there? (. . . and he shall give thee the man of thine heart???) Of course I believed that I was delighting in the LORD.

Okay, so maybe I was using that verse to bennefit me . . . but now I feel differant about this passage of scripture. There's been a change in my heart. Some days I can't seem to read the Bible enough, a word prayer is constantly on my lips, and I find so many reasons to praise my wonderful Savior! Am I perfect? Of course not! Every day is not like this, but I have been enjoying more and more days basking in my Savior's sunshine then I use to. Which brings me back to my verse. You see, now I actually do delight in the LORD! I have discovered, from experiance, that when you are close to God you are more concerned about the first part of the scripture (Delight thyself also in the LORD) then you are the second (and He shall give thee the desires of thine heart). I've found myself telling God, "I don't care what you give me or what you do for me. You know what is best for me . . . I'll accept that." But again, keep in mind that I do not always think like this! Just recently I remember asking God, "Can't you just give me this?" But I know life is happiest when I focus on delighting in myLORD and leave my desires behind.

So that is my desire! To enjoy God's pressence in my life and forget about my wants. As long as God is in control I don't think I will have anything to worry about!

Seek Ye Out the Old Paths

For those of you who may be wondering if I have fallen of the face of the earth . . . I thought I would let you know that I am still here! Maybe not here in the blog sphere, but still alive. : )

Last night my family and I were watching The Waltons again. During one part of the episode Grandma told John-Boy about the first time she was kissed.

He asked, "How did that make you feel?"

She replied, "Well I thought I was going to have a baby!"

John-Boy laughs.

"Don't laugh at me."

"I'm not laughing at you Grandma, I'm just wondering how you could be so innocent and still be kissed."

Grandma said, "Well he took me by surprise."

"I can see Grandpa doing that."

"Well . . . it wasn't your Grandpa who kissed me first. It was someone else."

"Does he know that? Have you told him?" John-Boy asks.

"No! Do you think I would tell him that I was kissed before I was married? No! And you better not tell him either."

What innocence! I couldn't help but laugh when Grandma said she thought she was going to have a baby! If that was the case, there would be even more pregnancies out of wedlock.

I still believe God wants me to save my first kiss for my wedding day. A lot of Christians don't believe this anymore, but I do. Mama has told me many times about the temptations kissing will bring along. I don't know from experiance, but I belive her words of wisdom because she has been there before. The Bible says to "hear the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy mother." (Pro. 1:8) The Bible also says "Thus sayeth the LORD, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. . ." (Jeremiah 6:16) In the old days, it was shameful to be kissed before marriage. A kiss was a sacred thing saved for marriage. That's the way it should be. I know we are all flesh and we may not keep this commitment, but we should at least try our best.

So on my wedding day, adorned in pure white by the grace of God, I hope to recieve my first kiss without any feelings of guilt! Ah, that must be a glorious feeling!