Here is my reaction and thoughts to the book.
"How much am I willing to trust you God? I gave youmy future, can I surrender my love life too? Can I trust you with that God?
Think of each and every life as a boat, there are many rooms in every boat and they each have a locked door... we possess the keys, but when we surrender our lives to God, we give up the keys. When we crash into the living God, the encounter is certain to renovate every square inch on our life's boat. That's a scary thought. It's easy to give up most rooms at the begining... but as we grow deeper in our relationship with God, He wants more and more of our keys... until he has them all. Are there rooms in which you have not given up control? I know I have them. It's hard giving up control when I have taken control so often. I gave Him my future... but could I trust Him with my love life? Getting closer to God made me realise that I needed to give full control over to God. So I did it. I gave God the keys... If He wants me to date.... then I shall... If He has singleness destined for me... then I am going to have to get used to that. It scares me that He mght want me to be single... I've dreamed of having a family of my own for so long that it was hard to give that dream to God... and even now, I still have this urge to take it back... but giving up control has given me a freedom to embrace myself and to follow what God has planned for my life.
"If God's plan and purpose for you is marriage, then the person you will one day marry is alive and wandering the earth" (p. 73)
Such an interesting thought. Keeping that thought in mind, it makes me wonder if God has marriage in my future. Am I keeping myself pure for him? Is he doing the same for me?
When (or if) i start dating, I am kind of old fashion. I don't want to date just anyone... I don't want to just date for the sake of dating. I don't want a string of guys in my past... The only guy i ever want to date is my future husband. How cool would it be if I was able to give my first kiss to my husband... actually all of my firsts... I think that would make him feel honoured. "As women, we are designed to give ourselves completely-emotionally and physical-to one man. And we have a deep need to be loved and cherished for a lifetime by the man to whom we give that gift."
"Far more important than what our future spouce thinks or is feels is what our King thinks and feels. Does He feel sorrowful as He watches our lives? Or does He feel honoured and adored by the way we are living?"
Proverbs 31, enough said.
"If God is preparing you to make an impact on this world for His kingdom, chances are He will take you through a season of solitude. This is a season when you learn that you can't lean upon anyone but Him for your confidence and when you gain the strength to stand alone even when no one else stands with you."
This hit hard. I'm not opposed to being single, but the last part really struck ground. It's in this season that I learn that I can't lean on anyone but Him. With what's going on in this season, I have had a large learning curve. My comfort zone has been taken away, close friends are half-way around the world, and I'm following God into ministry. I'm still learning to rely on God for all things, especially the loneliness... but I'm learning.
"Words of respect transform mere men inot superheroes. So whether it is sqeezing his muscles, showing interest in his rock collection, or calling him your hero, a dash of tenderness in the way you treat a man means the difference between being married to a gentle-man or a gingerbread-man. One is heroic and tender; the other is stale and cut out of the same mold as the rest of them."
The book takes a turn and talks about the role of parents in a relationship. They should be honoured in the relationship. Our parents know us the best and when it comes to us starting relationships, they have vital information about us. They can teach our future spouces how to love us and romance us. My relationship with my father is key. I respect my father enough to get his opinion on whomever God brings into my life.
Let me leave you with this quote: "Our love-hungry generation is desperately searching for the 'beautiful side of love.' But it is not found in either having sex or abstaining from sex. The 'sweeter song' is Jesus, in all His fullness, all His love, all His beauty, all His grace, and all His Majesty."
I reccomend that you read the book. 'When God writes your love story" by Eric & Leslie Ludy
