My birthday has come and gone and here I sit with my 23 y/o self. And I must say...I have this deep, peaceful assurance that this year of my life is going to be nothing short of amazing. Maybe it's becuz 23 started out with a bang. You wouldn't think that it would after reading my depressing pre-birthday post, but I am so thankful that God has the power to change a situation before you even have time to blink. It went down like this....
Thursday: Went to work and had a pleasant day. After work, I along with a few friends, went to my co-workers house. She and her husband invited us over for a birthday dinner. It was such a nice time. The food was good. Her husband is like this gourmet chef and she ain't no slouch either. We talked. We laffed. We heard their love story. We looked at pictures. It was a nice, low-key evening that I really enjoyed. It really made me feel loved that she and her husband would invite me and my friends into their home and cook for us just to celebrate my birthday even tho I haven't known them that long. Neway during the nite my co-worker said 2 things that I'm sure will have a profound effect on my life for the rest of my life:
1. It's possible to be pure and passionate in a rel.ship. She said that when she and her husband were dating they really wanted to have a pure rel.ship but they also wanted to enjoy the passion that comes from being in love. She mentioned how as Christians we get so caught up in the dating rules-- can't do this, can't touch that, can't kiss too long--that we become all rigid and passionless in our rel.ships. And it dawned on me......that is what I want too!!! I want to be perfectly pure and perfectly passionate. I don't wanna be so adamant about rel.ship rules that ppl can't even tell me and my man are actually very much in love with and attracted to one another. See what I mean? Totally changed my life.
2. Yes it's ok to have a list of qualities, but make sure these qualities focus more on character than on the traits you think are necessary to match up with you. She said that she had this prototype and her husband did not perfectly fit these things. However he is exactly what she needs and he has seeds of all the traits she thought were absolutely necessary. He isn't very musical, but he has an appreciation of music. He hasn't traveled a lot, but he has a definite appreciation for other cultures and languages. It's like I need to stop focusing so much on how I think I need a man to fit with me and instead focus on godly character traits. Not to say I'ma throw away my list and completely forget everything, but I just know that I need to adjust my approach and my thinking just a bit.
Friday: Cooked a delectable breakfast of omelets and potatoes. Went to Barnes and Noble. Took some time to do a "life assessment." It was great to sit down and answer the question, What do I want my life to look like? I wrote down things I definitely want to see in my life within the next year and I realized that I haven't taken full advantage of my singleness. I haven't made the most of my time. And so I have this great desire for a rel.ship and marriage, but at the same time I have this great desire to spend a little more time as a single so that I can really take advantage of this special time of life that God has placed me in. It's weird. I never thought I would get to this place. There's a lot I wanna do and I need to make up for lost time. And I feel like if I want an exciting, adventurous guy who really lives life to the fullest I need to be that kinda woman.
Saturday: Went to the beach with Michael and Janel and his family. It was fun in a low-key, chill kinda way. There was good food. Good company. And I really appreciated how hospitable and inviting Michael's family was. They just took me in like I'd been around them for the longest time. That night I had a great convo with Tiera as I shared with her my life assessment notes from Barnes and Noble. It was so amazing cuz God was all up in that convo. First when I told her about my desire to start writing again she said that she was just asking God to send her someone to write a piece for her and immediately she thought of me. So lately she's been thinking about asking me to write something for her. WOWOW!!! Blew my mind. THEN....I told her how I wanted to start exercising and stretching and she told me that during a convo with Natasha she said she thinks that before I'm in a rel.ship I need to start exercising. WOWOWOW again!!! Apparently she was going to bring it up to me, but she didn't have to because God had already laid it on my heart. Man....God never ceases to amaze me. I love Him! This convo wuz just confirmation of everything that has been swirling around in my heart.
Sunday: Had a powerful convo with my mom. She was giving me this great testimony of all that God is doing in my family. She said she really felt God speaking to her this weekend abt Zay....not worrying abt him and releasing him to God. That she was letting doubt get in the way of what God has already done in his life. It was so great to hear this from her....she sounded so joyful and so sure.....and it made me happy. Then she told me how at church today Zay was participating more in the service. More answers to prayer. Then she told me abt my dad.....how he's realized that he can't expect his sons to have a strong rel.ship with God if he doesn't. He said something to effect of wanting to get back his passion for God. And yet another answer. God is all up in my family...shaking things up and bringing awesome change. I am thrilled. And talking to my mom it reminded me of what a praying woman she is. I really think that is a legacy she has passed on to me and it's so great to think that because my mom is a praying woman, I too am a praying woman. I told her something that I've always wanted to tell her and my dad....that I know they are praying parents and I know that it is because of their prayers that I am where I am today. I just wanted her to know that I appreciate all those years of fervent, effectual prayer!
Whew! It was an amazing weekend. I really love how God was just speaking to me and showing me things and bringing confirmation and answering prayer all weekend long. I feel all stirred up with excitement and passion for my Lord. 23 is just now gettin started and it's already crazy good....can't wait to see what is next!
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