I don't believe that God's plan for your life and God's purpose for your life are synonymous.
I think three people read this blog and one of them is me. Clearly, I don't write because I am influencing the masses. I write because I believe it is part of the plan God uses to fulfill my purpose. I could be wrong about the plan part, but I’m sure I’m dead on regarding the purpose.
In the past few months, I have been caught up in God's plan for my life and the many paths I've walked and travelled. As I wrote yesterday, I have been in an epic wrestling match with God. I just don't understand why he has had me in a season (ok, its seriously longer than a season but humor me here) of singleness for so long. I truly believe that I have become the person that the person I am looking for is looking for. I know I have so much faith, love, joy, encouragement (shocking, I know), unconditional acceptance, loyalty, support and fun to give to a relationship. And that is the point. Let me try to explain what I've realized this summer.
Fulfilling our purpose is far more powerful than being perfect in navigating the plan. God is much more interested in our character than our comfort. I have come to believe that the entire point of the past 16 years in regards to being single is to have allowed God to use every single experience I have had to mold me into the woman I am now. Every hope I had about someone new, every crushing heartbreak from those I loved, every dating site (yes, I've tried them all), every profile I read, every ghosting, every tear, every laugh, every wrong match, every unanswered message, every time I was told I didn't live in the right place, every time I was told I was too fat - all shaped me and formed the heart I have now.
Dating is daunting in this day and age. It is not for the faint of heart. I've talked to countless men and women who say the same. Some have had great success and some are still navigating the waters. Every single one of them are on different paths and have walked very different courses to get to where we are now as a shared destination - broken, single, and dating. (Tomorrow I will be writing about that brokenness and how imperative it is to heal before entering a new relationship or the dating pool for that matter.) But no matter the outcome of each encounter, whether disappointment or elation, God intends to use it for our ultimate good.
As christians, Paul tells us in Romans:
We can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good. God knew what he was doing from the very beginning. He decided from the outset to shape the lives of those who love him along the same lines as the life of his Son.
~Romans 8:28-32 MSG
I could write 10 blog posts on all that says but the 30,000 foot view of it simply says that God's purpose for those who love Him in all we encounter, experience and engage in is to make us more like Christ and that irregardless of the path, pursuit or process it all works out for our good. Why? Because if I surrender to God's ultimate purpose, and all I am ever blessed with is the character, peace, power and joy of Christ - I - you - are exceedingly abundantly blessed.
You see - God did not intend one of the men I have met in 16 years to be the one He has chosen for me. That was just the plan he had to shape me. But his purpose has been fulfilled, because I now know that I am the woman that is ready for a Godly man and relationship. That was the purpose.
I am an encourager. You won't meet anyone who thrives and rejoices in hope like I do. I think nothing is impossible. I believe all things happen for our good. You will never hear me say the word quit and it is part of my molecular makeup to cheer on the underdog. Gosh, there is nothing like a comeback. My journey isn't over - I pray it doesn't last another 16 years (can I get an AMEN) but if it does - I will look at the plans and paths as exactly as I now see them to be - roads I must walk that will lead me to the ultimate man - Jesus.