Can Singleness Really Be Sacred?-Chapter 1

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I am so delighted to share my findings from the first chapter in Leslie Ludy's book "Sacred Singleness".
Just to clarify-
FOR THIS SERIES: ALL QUOTED MATERIAL WILL BE ITALICIZED.
I just think that will make it easier to differentiate my words versus the people I am quoting (and there will be quite a few quotes let me tell you!)

So lets get started! :)

The first chapter is entitles "Forsaking All" and it Leslie's personal story of the journey the Lord took her on to teach her that having a boyfriend (or a husband) can not fill the void in our hearts only HE CAN. As she shared her very personal story about a boy named Kyle I was struck by the fact that even though Kyle was a great guy and by any standards a "good catch" Leslie KNEW that he was not the best that God had for her and that she was compromising as long as she was with him. Here are some things that really convicted me in my own life as I read her experiances.

"God has made us for Himself, and our hearts can never know rest and perfect satisfaction until they find it in Him."
-Hannah Hurnard
Why do we persist in chasing after anything and anyone to try and fill the void in our hearts that only Jesus can fill? Even as Christians so often our eyes get off our first love Jesus Christ and instead get focused on other things (boyfriends, work, school, sports, you name it) while Jesus just wants our eyes to be on Him, trusting Him to complete us.
"looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." (Hebrews 12:2)
Jesus Christ the Son of the Most High God endured that cross for YOU and endured that cross for ME! Just ponder that for a moment...Are our eyes on Him? Are we allowing our hearts to be filled by the One who loved us so much He willingly laid His life down for us?

"I was so repulsed by the thought of spending life alone, of never having my dreams of earthly romance come true, that I was willing to settle for a less-than-Christlike guy in order to avoid being single.
This is the plight of nearly every single young woman I've encountered over the last 14 years. We want to be fully set apart for Christ. We want Him to be our all in all. We want to find our fulfillment and satisfaction in Him, even if an earthly romance never comes our way.
But all too often, these desires are nothing more than good Christian sentiments that quickly fall by the wayside as soon as a semi-decent guy comes along. The moment we see an opportunity to shed the stigma of singleness, we cave. Instead of allowing Jesus Christ to be our 1st love, we look to earthly guys to meet needs in our heart that only Jesus Christ can fulfill. And we end up disappointed and dissatisfied time and time again."
-Leslie Ludy
So does that last part of the quote in bold sound familiar to any of you? Sadly it does to me. So many, many times...sadly more than I can count...I have been willing to settle for less than God would have for me. The problem was that for a long time I felt my worth was measured by whether or not a guy like me. So I would do my best to put myself out there and I would spends hours dreaming about the what-ifs or the possible possibilities with any guy that was available and smiled at me.
IT WAS SO WRONG!
Yet, the whole time, God was waiting and when I realized the folly of my ways He began to show me how He alone can satisfy and that with Him by my side I would never be truly alone.
Does this mean that there are not days when I am in tears because there appear to be no prospects and I have the feeling I will be single till the day I die? NO! BUT it does mean that on those days I am learning (still not there yet) to run to my Savior, pour my fears in His listening ear and then with His help gain courage to continue to walk this path of singleness I now He has called me on for as long as He wills.
Wow, I honestly cannot believe I am saying all this! I am just so thankful for how far God has brought me! And how much He has taught me ESPECIALLY in these past two years in regards to singleness. It truly has been a refining process! Painful...but now I am realizing how with it it was and still is! That was an aside :)

"Here is the crucial truth that all too many of us miss in our quest for true love: Even a beautiful God-scripted love story can never satisfy the way Jesus does. Even the most heroic and Christlike man on earth can never fulfill the longings of our heart like the true Prince and lover of our soul (Jesus Christ). And until we are able to truly make Him our first love, until we are willing to give up our dream of an earthly love story for His sake, we will never know the fullness of Him who fills us all in all. We will always be looking to a mere man to meet the desires of our heart, rather than to the One who created us, who knows us better than we know ourselves, and who gave His very life's blood to rescue us."
-Leslie Ludy
The only way to know His know His fullness is by giving up what we think is our right to have that one person in our lives. We have to stop looking to others to fulfill us and instead look only to HIM.
IS HE WORTH IT TO YOU? I have had to ask myself that question and the answer it can be hard. This quote is one of the reasons I chose the life I am living now by His grace:

"Is not the One who has given everything for me worthy of everything I could offer Him?"
-Leslie Ludy
IS HE WORTH IT TO YOU? IS HE? HE IS WORTHY!
We say that He is...BUT DO WE LIVE IT OUT?

"Our fulfillment cannot be found in marriage, children, or fairy-tale dreams come true. Until He (Jesus Christ) is our all in all, we aren't truly living the Gospel life."
-Leslie Ludy
Our fulfillment needs to be found in Jesus Christ alone. He needs to be our all in all.
IS HE OUR ALL-IN-ALL? Do we live to find fulfillment from HIM ALONE?


Here is the thought I want to leave you all with today:
"Marriage is not the answer to the longings of our feminine hearts-Jesus Christ is."
He is the answer! HIM ALONE! He is so worthy! Why do we still insist on clinging to our dreams and our plans while He stands there with open arms ready and waiting to be our ALL-in-ALL?http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif
Has He been calling you? Are you fed up with trying to fill that void in your life? Run to HIM! He is there waiting and HE IS SO WORTHY! He died for you! He willingly laid down His life FOR YOU! HE CAN AND WILL FILL THAT VOID IN OUR LIVES! All we have to do is trust Him in that and surrender our desires to Him and then live each and everyday trusting that He will accomplish His will for our lives. Remember this. He not only knows our life story He WROTE it...

What are your thoughts? If you comment I will try to get back to you asap :)
Blessings to you all!