grace – girlgrowing

Feb 14th is nearly upon us once again. I’m not sure about you, but I’m still very much single.

Flashback…

It was a few weeks before Christmas last year, and I found myself feeling concerned about what the holiday season would bring and just how I’d cope with it. If you’ve been single for a while, you may be familiar with this.

I love Christmas – time with family and friends, carols, food, gifts etc. Yet, the festive season can also be really challenging to navigate. Derek Prince once said that holiday times can catch us at our weakest, as the devil knows our vulnerabilities and preys on them. I’ve experienced this before – the moments when I’ve been surrounded by people have sometimes been the loneliness times of my life, highlighting that everyone (seemingly!) has a family of their own except me. Watching other people delight in seeing their children’s faces light up with joy as they open their presents, can be heartbreaking for someone who’d love to be doing that themselves. Sigh…

As I said, I wasn’t overly looking forward to having these experiences and trying to paste a smile on my face (to hide the tears and pain I was feeling). I know from experience that it’s not easy to explain it to others, and generally they don’t get it, and just think you’re being a selfish drama queen. This is so far from the truth, but the grief you know all too well is foreign to them and often they just can’t understand.

“What happened?” you might ask. I prayed and prayed and prayed some more. I poured out my heart to God and let Him know that I just couldn’t face that pain again. I needed Him to do something!

The most beautiful grace was extended to me. He walked by my side in every situation which could have been so hurtful. He gave me strength when I had none of my own. And he brought me joy. (He even took care of the little things, like having others prepare Christmas lunch).

Back to the present…

Valentine’s Day is just around the corner.

I want you to know that while the world seems to be shouting out that only couples matter, you matter!

God cares for you in this moment, and He has grace for you during this time.

I’d encourage you to cry out to Him. Share everything that’s on your heart. Let Him speak love unto you.

He’s been showing me lately how He is jealous FOR me (We tend to get envious OF others and what they have, but He is jealous FOR us – He just wants us!) (Exodus 34:14). Lean into relationship with Him. Spend some one on one time with the one who knows everything about you and loves you more than you could ever dream of. Check out another of my blog posts, Focus!, for more on this.

Also… don’t do V Day alone. Get together with some single friends and just have fun together! (I’m thinking of doing something here. Send me your ideas for celebrating the beautiful singles in your world)

Scripture references: The Holy Bible

Photo credit: https://www.pexels.com/photo/white-black-and-red-person-carrying-heart-illustration-in-brown-envelope-867462/

© Girl Growing. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission, from this blog’s author and owner, is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Girl Growing, http://www.girlgrowing.com

I was woken one morning this week with a memory of a time when someone sent me a message to say that a friend of mine had died. It turned out that this was a ‘joke’. Naturally, I didn’t find it very funny. Not only did that immediate situation hurt me, but it dug up some extreme trauma I’d experienced years before {a long story for another time perhaps}. It took a bit for me to work through this situation and to forgive.

As I lay in bed the other day pondering why I’d remembered this, I thought about this verse:

Jesus said, “Father, forgive these people! They don’t know what they’re doing.”…
Luke 23:34‭ CEVUK

Jesus spoke these words to those involved in crucifying Him. He spoke them to us, as we too would deny Him. And I believe He spoke them as a lesson for us on forgiveness.

These words have been so valuable for me over the years, particularly when I was betrayed by someone who had once seemed a close friend. Her nasty, hateful treatment of me was undeserved. It didn’t make sense. And yet, in light of this verse, it did. This verse helped me realise that she didn’t understand that what she was doing was wrong. She couldn’t see it. She was blinded by pain in her own life, and I was just the scapegoat. So, as much as I copped it (and boy did I cop it!), I could forgive with that understanding – she knew not what she did.

Neither did the person who made the ‘joke’ about my friend’s death.

Nor do many others who’ve hurt me over the years, and those who’ll do so in the future.

I appreciate the grace and love that comes with this understanding. It helps me to pray blessing, not cursing, over their lives. It enables me to pray compassionately as I ‘see’ their struggles. It encourages me to pray that they’ll have a revelation of Christ and His love for them.

My pondering also made me reflect again on God’s mercy towards me. It’s abundance is immeasurable. So undeserved… yet given in LOVE. Thank you, Father.

Selah {Think on this}

A girl forgiven. A girl called to forgive. xxx

Scripture references: The Holy Bible (several translations)

Photo credit: Pixabay.com

https://www.pexels.com/photo/black-and-white-cemetery-christ-church-208315/

Tag: grace

Valentine’s Schmalentines

Father, forgive them