Dear future husband,
I just finished reading a book about praying for you. I'm fairly certain we haven't met yet, but I could be wrong. That wouldn't be the first time and certainly won't be the last. I had a feeling that I should pray that you come to find Jesus. So, I prayed that you would find Him about a week ago. I prayed that someone in your life was following Jesus and would introduce you to Him. After that prayer, I felt good.
To be honest with you, I'm not sure who you are or where you currently are in your life. I just feel like I should write to you. I know that when you and I meet that I want our relationship to have a solid foundation with Christ in the center of it. I'm praying that your heart is learning to be guarded. I'm praying that your heart will resist earthly temptations and that you will wait for me starting now if you haven't already. I'm praying that you will be someone who is fully committed to making our relationship a functional, healthy, and God-focused relationship. I pray that you will be patient with me and my past, present, and future self. I'm praying these things for myself as well.
I'm praying that you will be present in our relationship. I'm praying that you will help me grow to be a better wife to you, a good mother to our future children if we have them, and a woman who loves God more and more each day. I'm praying that together we can build an empire and bring others to Christ through our work. I'm praying that together we will be a couple that can work through difficulties without hurting each other. I'm praying that you and I will balance each other out.
I'm praying that you might be someone who has shared interests as me. It would be awesome if you were someone that enjoyed lifting weights and sharing in fun runs, but that is only a bonus quality that isn't a deal breaker. I'm praying that you're someone that won't forget that you have your friends and I have mine. I'm praying that you're someone who is secure enough to allow us to have time with our friends, and someone that will trust me completely.
Future husband, I'm praying that you will be praying for me as well. I don't know when our paths will cross or if they have already, but know that I'm ready for you when God says we are to intertwine our lives. Future husband, I'm looking forward to the day that I no longer have to wonder who you are and what you're like. Future husband, I'm looking forward to getting to know you and loving you for who you are now and who you will become. I'm looking forward to moving forward in this life with you by my side as God leads us together. Future husband, I am hoping that you will start to feel this way about me if you're not already.
Yours,
Nikki
Sunday, March 15, 2015
Monday, March 9, 2015
Chapter 2: Pray He Will Be a God Lover
1. It's weird to think that my future husband could potentially be in a relationship right now. You never want to think about the person you're interested in being with someone else, so its odd to think of the future as what it may be presently holding. It makes me want to pray that my future husband is out of the relationship so that God can show him to me. The longer the relationship lasts, the more people will hurt in the end.
2. I think it is a similar answer to the first question. We don't like to think about the past, but its likely that we will both have people from our past. Some of it may hurt us. I want to make sure that I don't have anymore painful stories to add to my past for my future husband. I am in a place where I'm not looking to date around, and I do want my next relationship to be my last relationship.
3. I had someone fly me out of state to visit him. It seemed really romantic in the moment. However, when the "vacation" arrived, I didn't spend much time with him because of his work. I felt pretty special, but after I had got there and left I didn't feel special at all.
4. To me, that part really stuck out. He bought me with His blood! How many people do we say we would lay our lives down for? Would we really do that? God did! He loved us that much.
5. I can relate to Tricia. I felt like it was normal to be sexually involved with someone. I felt that if I hadn't because of the way society is that I wouldn't be someone that was worth staying with. I knew it was wrong --- every. single. time. I never once felt good about what I was doing, but it was a fear I had developed thanks to the media and today's world.
6. When we give too much of our story to someone we are emotionally involved. If we are sharing our lives with someone they work in to become part of our story. It can be hard to rip that person out of your life when you've created so many memories together.
7. Pray about them. Draw close and communicate with Him and He will help heal us.
8. When I am struggling and crying out to God I will feel a sense of peace. I know that is when God has his arms wrapped around me. That's when He tells me what I will be okay because He is there for me.
9. Yesterday, I prayed that my future husband would have someone in his life to show him who God was. That could be equivalent to what Shannon was praying about. That makes a little bit nervous because I am wondering when he would be shown and how do I trust him to be truly in love with God when he hears the story? Of course, the answer is prayer.
10. Just like number 5, I believed that no one would stay with me if I didn't give myself physically. God is sad about that because I've defaced His temple that He gave me. Thankfully, God is a merciful and graceful God. I am hoping that in the future I am stronger and have my future husband join me in the same shared beliefs.
2. I think it is a similar answer to the first question. We don't like to think about the past, but its likely that we will both have people from our past. Some of it may hurt us. I want to make sure that I don't have anymore painful stories to add to my past for my future husband. I am in a place where I'm not looking to date around, and I do want my next relationship to be my last relationship.
3. I had someone fly me out of state to visit him. It seemed really romantic in the moment. However, when the "vacation" arrived, I didn't spend much time with him because of his work. I felt pretty special, but after I had got there and left I didn't feel special at all.
4. To me, that part really stuck out. He bought me with His blood! How many people do we say we would lay our lives down for? Would we really do that? God did! He loved us that much.
5. I can relate to Tricia. I felt like it was normal to be sexually involved with someone. I felt that if I hadn't because of the way society is that I wouldn't be someone that was worth staying with. I knew it was wrong --- every. single. time. I never once felt good about what I was doing, but it was a fear I had developed thanks to the media and today's world.
6. When we give too much of our story to someone we are emotionally involved. If we are sharing our lives with someone they work in to become part of our story. It can be hard to rip that person out of your life when you've created so many memories together.
7. Pray about them. Draw close and communicate with Him and He will help heal us.
8. When I am struggling and crying out to God I will feel a sense of peace. I know that is when God has his arms wrapped around me. That's when He tells me what I will be okay because He is there for me.
9. Yesterday, I prayed that my future husband would have someone in his life to show him who God was. That could be equivalent to what Shannon was praying about. That makes a little bit nervous because I am wondering when he would be shown and how do I trust him to be truly in love with God when he hears the story? Of course, the answer is prayer.
10. Just like number 5, I believed that no one would stay with me if I didn't give myself physically. God is sad about that because I've defaced His temple that He gave me. Thankfully, God is a merciful and graceful God. I am hoping that in the future I am stronger and have my future husband join me in the same shared beliefs.
Sunday, March 8, 2015
Praying for You Future Husband: Chapter 2
I'm going to answer my book's chapter questions here in this blog. If you're curious about the book I'm reading, its called Praying for You Future Husband: Preparing Your Heart for His bu Robin Jones Gunn and Tricia Goyer.
1. The day my serious relationship with Jesus started was a day I went to church with my mother. I had grown up as a Christian, but until college I was a "when I feel like going, definitely at Christmas and Easter" kind of church goer. That is, until this day in January when my pastor was speaking about John 4. Dave Bish was talking about the woman at the well and named her Wendy. Basically, I felt like this message was speaking to me. I needed God's life water to fill me up. I was living wrecklessly.
2. This question did not apply to me because I have a personal relationship with Jesus.
3. I hide from God because I'm being selfish and giving into my human self. I hide when I feel like my soul is battling good vs. evil and the evil seems to be prevailing.
4. I first felt love beginning in my own heart the day I heard that message with Pastor Dave. God loved me and wanted a real relationship with me. I was good enough, as I was. I didn't need to run anymore. I could come as I was and work on healing and being the person God has created me to be.
5. Yes, I do. I get lonely. I try to remind myself that it doesn't necessarily mean that those people are happy in their relationships. I also know that when God brings the man He desires for me to be with it will be worth the wait.
6. No, I don't think it's realistic. At such a young age, we don't usually know who we are. We are discovering ourselves and what we want now could change in the future. At my age now, if the relationship is healthy and communicative then yes, we can think he may be the one. I do think it will have to be with much prayer though, and God as the foundation.
7. When the scripture says then you (us) will call on me (God) and I (God, again) will listen. When we call on God and draw close to him and communicate with Him instead of demand things from Him as if He were a genie, He will listen. It's like any relationship we have on earth. Demands aren't always heard, but often seem to be nags. Discussion draws us closer to our goals.
8. Praying and asking is like we are walking with a parent for guidance, advice, and permission. Demands are like a child whom doesn't know that he/she is not in control. Demands are like God is a genie whom must grant you wishes.
9. It's comforting because like a parent, He doesn't want us to hurt. He wants to give us the best.
10. To me, it makes it easier to talk to. I have a healthy relationship with my early parents, so I find them easy to talk to. It makes it easier to talk to a father whom loves you and wants the best for you.
11. I pray that my future husband is a Christ follower. And if he is not, I pray that there is someone in his life that will guide him toward Christ so that he can follow Christ too.
12. Many times, when we give we tend to get more than we bargain for. Often, people find that helping others teaches them far more than they anticipated. I believe that is similar with prayer.
1. The day my serious relationship with Jesus started was a day I went to church with my mother. I had grown up as a Christian, but until college I was a "when I feel like going, definitely at Christmas and Easter" kind of church goer. That is, until this day in January when my pastor was speaking about John 4. Dave Bish was talking about the woman at the well and named her Wendy. Basically, I felt like this message was speaking to me. I needed God's life water to fill me up. I was living wrecklessly.
2. This question did not apply to me because I have a personal relationship with Jesus.
3. I hide from God because I'm being selfish and giving into my human self. I hide when I feel like my soul is battling good vs. evil and the evil seems to be prevailing.
4. I first felt love beginning in my own heart the day I heard that message with Pastor Dave. God loved me and wanted a real relationship with me. I was good enough, as I was. I didn't need to run anymore. I could come as I was and work on healing and being the person God has created me to be.
5. Yes, I do. I get lonely. I try to remind myself that it doesn't necessarily mean that those people are happy in their relationships. I also know that when God brings the man He desires for me to be with it will be worth the wait.
6. No, I don't think it's realistic. At such a young age, we don't usually know who we are. We are discovering ourselves and what we want now could change in the future. At my age now, if the relationship is healthy and communicative then yes, we can think he may be the one. I do think it will have to be with much prayer though, and God as the foundation.
7. When the scripture says then you (us) will call on me (God) and I (God, again) will listen. When we call on God and draw close to him and communicate with Him instead of demand things from Him as if He were a genie, He will listen. It's like any relationship we have on earth. Demands aren't always heard, but often seem to be nags. Discussion draws us closer to our goals.
8. Praying and asking is like we are walking with a parent for guidance, advice, and permission. Demands are like a child whom doesn't know that he/she is not in control. Demands are like God is a genie whom must grant you wishes.
9. It's comforting because like a parent, He doesn't want us to hurt. He wants to give us the best.
10. To me, it makes it easier to talk to. I have a healthy relationship with my early parents, so I find them easy to talk to. It makes it easier to talk to a father whom loves you and wants the best for you.
11. I pray that my future husband is a Christ follower. And if he is not, I pray that there is someone in his life that will guide him toward Christ so that he can follow Christ too.
12. Many times, when we give we tend to get more than we bargain for. Often, people find that helping others teaches them far more than they anticipated. I believe that is similar with prayer.
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