It is in no way easy to be a single woman of God in waiting. The pain that we face from disappointing hopefuls or no hopefuls at all; breeds a rejection that is indescribable. Often the above described leads us to want to place the blame on someone. What if more men were in position to take on a bride, and to be more responsible and lead as they should? If this were the case, we as single women would be fine. We would not be tempted at times to hate and dishonor the man.
I’ve been through all of the above and now that I’ve met a mature man of God who actually expresses his love toward me, I am forced to look at my response as a woman to ensure that I keep that man in a position of honor in my life. I thought to myself about how as a single I met a lot of guys who seemed mature and honorable, but when they showed me different I was tempted to dishonor them.
What if my husband who has proven to be a well rounded mature man of God became tired or went through a season where he did not express his love for me in the way that he should? Would I as his wife disrespect him? At some point our response as women to respect our men cannot be based solely on him doing his part. What if all of the temptation and disappointment faced with men as singles prepared us to respect our husbands as married women even when we felt they did not deserve it?
Yes, men do have more responsibility, and many men often fell at that responsibility, but that is more of a reason to hold them up helping them by respecting them and who God called them to be despite their performance.
In the world that we live in, it is so easy to criticize people in positions that we are not in. Many say if I was in this position or that position, I would do differently, but the Bible teaches us to judge others as we would judge ourselves. If we were men, and made similar choices, would we not desire mercy and respect? Yes, we would because we desire the same thing four ourselves.
For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. Matthew 7:2 (NIV)
Finally, respect and putting up with foolishness are two different things. As a single, I’ve had zero tolerance for foolishness, and that has saved me from a lot of mess. It may have led me to be single longer, and thus deal with feelings of being alone longer, but at least I’ve had peace of mind.
Allow the Lord to examine your own heart and to expose all bitterness, disrespect, resentment, and un-forgiveness so that you will be prepared to be a woman who honors men even in the face of dishonor, and God will harvest honor back to you.
Don’t be misled–you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant. Galatians 6:7
See blog post “What to do about the man Crisis” on my Holy Neck Swirl Website (Website for book: “The Single Christian Woman’s Guide.”) See at link: http://www.holyneckswirl.com/?p=349
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