What are you more excited about: Jesus, or your future husband?

I've recently been reading, and loving, some of the anecdotes and words of wisdom posted by Kelly Needham. I don't know her personally, but stumbled on to her blog from her husband's website. Her husband, Jimmy Needham, is a Christian music artist (who you can check out here). Both Jimmy and Kelly seem to be solid Christian people who are speaking up (or singing) about their faith in Jesus, and how it has impacted their life. :)

Kelly, once single like the lot of us, writes about waiting on God for her future husband, in the post titled "My First Love":

"What are you more excited about: Jesus or your future husband? God was never designed to simply be the means for us to receive things... We were created to be in a passionate, consuming, and loving relationship; this is why our hearts long for it. So when we do not experience this fulfilling relationship in God, we naturally look for it in other things: usually in a relationship here on earth."

She makes a few really great points:
- that we tend to see God only as the vehicle that brings us what we need and want
- that we put relationships ahead of God, especially that special relationship that we all long for
We need to love Jesus first and foremost, or we're just going to put our future husband on a pedestal. We will put that man in the place where Jesus should be, and this is dangerous.
Read the post yourself for more thoughts on this!

What are your thoughts? Do you see this tendency in your own life- to view God merely as the vehicle that brings you what you need? Or are you truly excited about getting to know God, and experiencing his love for you?

What is the purpose for waiting? (Part 2)

At times I’ve been incredibly frustrated with waiting.  If I want something, I don’t want to have to wait for it.  When I’m hungry, I want to eat right away.  When I’m lonely, I want to surround myself with friends, immediately.  And when I’m broke and jobless, I want a job and an income.  Arg… I don’t like this impatient part of me.

For about 5 months now, I’ve been applying for jobs, and was hoping that I would have a solid job offer as I graduated from university.  I’ve had a handful of interviews, but as I finished off my degree I hadn’t had a single offer.  I was praying, but starting to doubt that God would provide.

In the midst of that I was able to say “God is so good”.  I know that I have been waiting and experiencing that frustration for a reason.  I believe that God wanted me to wait for several reasons:

(1)   So that I would rely on Him. 

At times in my job search, I was expecting to get hired because of my skills, my talents, my awesomeness. Those things are factors in getting a job, but not everything.  Ultimately, what God wants goes.  If God wants me to take a particular job, then the job offer will be there.  In the same way, if he doesn’t want me to have a job, then he is able to take away the opportunity (or not present it in the first place).

At times of disappointment I was reminded that the opportunity would come if it was in God’s plan for me.  And I was reminded of my past, in times that I’ve had to wait for him.  When he finally provided, it was so perfectly suited to me and the timing was perfect. 

(2)   So that I would realize my love of money. 

While waiting and searching for jobs, I struggled with how I would pay my bills.  I worried.   I got anxious.  I considered taking any crummy part-time job.  I considered moving back in with my mom… until God miraculously provided in this area, enough to pay my bills for another 2 months.

(3)   So that I would be made aware of my need for security.

I am almost ashamed of what I felt at times.  I felt so lost and empty and purposeless, as I didn’t have anything to look forward to, or anything to work for, during this time.  There were days when I just felt I had nothing to cling to.  My future was so uncertain, unclear, insecure.  In the end I am so blown away by God.  When everything seemed out of control, he filled the voids in my heart, and gave me such a clear sense of stability and peace.

(4)   So that he would be glorified.

He provided an awesome job.  It’s a technical writing position, full-time, located in Montreal, with a great company.  I’m super excited about the projects that they are currently working on: smart cameras, video editing software and hardware and more.  Technical writing will give me a lot of experience.  I’ll be exposed to all of the engineering divisions within the company, and will lead to future opportunities.  Plus the timing is perfect. I’ve been out of school and unemployed for just over a month, and it was just the amount of time I needed to rest and refocus.

I could go on about the great things about this job opportunity… God is just so good.

Only God knew what I needed.  He knew my money-loving heart needed a good shock back to hoping in Jesus, and not in my money.  He knew that my self-worth was in my security and my status as an engineering student.  He knew that the only way I would rely on him was to wait for 5 months before being offered anything.

He also knows what I enjoy; I am so excited to work alongside engineers who do exactly what I see myself doing in a few years. 

He knows where I can be a light for him, and so I am confident that this job is where I am meant to be for the time being. 

What is the purpose for waiting? (Part 1)

I’ve come to the conclusion that there is always a purpose for a time of waiting.  It doesn’t matter what we’re waiting for, whether a job, a spouse, an answer to prayer, or deliverance from a situation, God always has a purpose for making us wait.

The bible (ESV) mentions the word ‘wait’ over 130 times.  The writer of the psalms often writes about waiting on the Lord.  He expresses his frustration with whatever he is waiting for in Psalm 130:

“Out of the depths I cry to you, O LORD!
O Lord, hear my voice!
Let your ears be attentive
to the voice of my pleas for mercy!”

He goes on to write:

“I wait for the LORD, my soul waits,
and in his word I hope;
my soul waits for the Lord
more than watchmen for the morning,
more than watchmen for the morning.
O Israel, hope in the LORD!
For with the LORD there is steadfast love,
and with him is plentiful redemption.”

What an encouragement this Psalm is to me.  The author is obviously facing something difficult, and is pleading with God to help him.  He seems unsure whether God will help him.  But he ends his Psalm with such confidence that as he waits for God’s guidance and help, he has can look to the future with hope.  He doesn’t know what is coming (none of us do), but he can look to God, and say to himself, “Whatever God has planned will be good.”.  He has God at his side, and he has found God’s love to be steadfast, constant, unfailing.  God also brings him hope of redemption.  Whatever is broken, he can surely fix. Whatever is lacking, he can supply.

I think that as we seek God in times of waiting, we will begin to see these things.  We will have a clearer picture of God’s provision, of the way he works in us, and of his awesome love.