~I Am Single. Please Walk With Me~

God understands humanity. He knows that we are so very weak, in spite of our best efforts to be strong. God has showered us with promises that should be enough to send us anywhere, to do any job. But the truth is, we don’t. We freeze in fear. Thankfully, God in His mercy doesn’t zap us for our timid resistance. Instead, in His compassion, He dispenses grace beyond what we even thought to ask.

God’s grace is like manna. Remember the small loaves of bread God supplied for the Israelites each morning. He supplied just what they neededfor the day. Every morning, the wanderers awoke to little loaves outside their tents. If they tried to store it up, it rotted. If they didn’t bother to gather any, they went hungry.

God always provides the sustenance to press on through the wilderness. Somehow, in my wilderness experiences, He manages to give grace to take another step. If I look at the miles stretching across the sand, I am engulfed in fear. There is no way I can make it. But if I look at the loaf in front of my foot, I can take the next step. There’s manna for the moment. And there will be manna for tomorrow’s moments, too. When I get there, He’ll provide.

Singles often wander in the wilderness of broken relationships, with fear as their companion. Having been deeply wounded by the rejection of someone they loved. After being wounded, it is hard to think about future relationships and hard to even think about getting close to anyone in a dating relationship again. There are no guarantees about how things will turn out. Fortunately, when you muster the guts, there are guarantees of grace loaves at their feet. You also have to trust God because there can be a lot to gain in a future relationship.

One of the greatest sources of manna in my life comes from people around me. While everyone needs encouragement, singles especially need people who will walk with them. Regardless of the road – relationships, careers, habits, involvements – as a single adult, I don’t have the built-in support system provided by a spouse. I don’t have a constant someone to recognize the difficulties I face and help me find my way through them. It’s a matter of survival for me to have friends who can lend faithful support and encouragement. Like fearful Moses needed Aaron, I need encouragements beside me, friends who see the things that make me afraid and help me move right through them. They are friends who become what Isaiah might call “pools of water” in the desert (Isaiah 41:18).

There was a time in my life when I wasn’t willing to let people walk so closely with me. I wouldn’t even let the people closest to me see where I struggled, much less ask for any help.

Somewhere along the way, I learned better. I look around at several key friends now and can only imagine how horrible it would be to walk tough roads without them. They have been “gifts" to me when I perhaps would have shrunken back from divine direction.

Friends like this don’t lurk behind every corner, but they are worth looking for. They are worth every ounce of vulnerability I can squeeze out, because they are the ones who push me forward when I cower in fear from the risks of relationships, new ventures, and changes.

These are a select few friends who understand; some single; some married. They listen when I talk. The one thing I can always count on is the simple fact that they LISTEN!

On a different note, Ripley has had the brace off his leg for about a week now. He is using his leg pretty good. I'm limiting his activity, so we can get this leg healed. He is tolerating this well especially since we've been at this for so long. He looks like some weight may be coming off as well. I need to try to get the clippers after him, but I've been busy with getting the settlement finalized on the wrecked car and then turning right around researching vehicles and then buying a new vehicle. We also have family in from San Antonio. I had planned on having a garage sale last fall which didn't happen, so I cleaned out my garage and loaded all that up and took to the garage sale that I now get to help with to raise funds for treatment and such for Jan this coming weekend. All of that just to say, I've been busy and haven't sat down to trim Ripley's hair.