"Mama Said You Can't Hurry Love..."

"...No, you'll just have to wait..."

It's jam time at Faith Barista. What's the topic? Finding the One *insert sigh*

For those of you who know me really well, you know that I am a hopeful romantic. I'm hopeless in my hopefulness. ;)  I stongly believe in love- not today's standard for love, but the picture of love painted for us in the Word. I believe men can truly love their wives for a lifetime in the way Christ loved the church, and that women can respect their husbands as the head of their households. These treasures are what make up love. I think a lot about Jesus Christ example of love and submission. There is no better example. He submitted to the Father's will to death and willing did so because of the eternal love He has for us. I'm in Awe. That's not the world's idea of love. Today, love is marred and submission is tarnished. The standards of love are determined by selfish gain- how does he/she fulfill me, or am I satisfied? We go to the movies and the love portrayed to us there is cheap, unless of course you are watching You've Got Mail. *wink*

Disclaimer: Don't get me wrong, I love love stories- they're my favorite movies. I'm also not anti-fairytales. That's not possible when you LOVE THEM.

In essence, I'm a sap and I'm proud of it. The thing we need to get back to is the Truth. The Truth tells me that love is not selfish (1 Cor 13:5), that it's patient (1 Cor 13:4), and that it "endures all things" (1 Cor 13:7). That decribes a life being laid down for another (submision, love). In fairytales, you have a hero that searches for his maiden to rescue her- a perfect parallel to our relationship to Christ. As followers of Christ, we are suppose to follow that same example, especially in our marriages. *see fairytales aren't that bad* We have it wrong.

I spent so much time looking for "The One". But I forgot there is only One deserving of my whole heart, soul, and mind. I wish I could adequately explain to you the transformation God has made in me in this area. For years I thought  I had to have him. That how could God possibly think it was okay to leave me single. Of course, this was all in my subconscious. In my head, I was "patiently" waiting, but I've realized, in a lot of ways, I was "restlessly" waiting.

I'm not pretending to have this "singleness" status figured out. God is teaching me in this classroom of life. I want "my man" in my life, but he's not here. What is here is the opportunity to serve my Savior right where I am. I hear sometimes, "God wants this time with you". I honestly believe that, but I also believe it goes deeper then that statement. God has plans we can't understand. His plans aren't simple in nature. I will not sit around trying to figure them out- I prefer not to exaust myself. The times I do brainstorm about God's plans would be much more productive if it was about seeking Him.

One of my favorite Kari Jobe songs is The More I Seek You. The chorus goes like this, "I wanna sit at your feet, Drink from the cup in your hand, Lay back against you and breath, feel your heart beat, This love is so deep, it's more than I can stand, I melt in your peace, it's overwhelming". I think having a surrendered heart is where we need to be as singles, for those of us who wear that status like a name tag.

Love is patient... 1 Cor 13:4






In His Love,
Jennifer