In the world of dating, it’s easy to assume that if a man says he loves Jesus, that automatically means he’s a godly man. But words are cheap. Fruit is what matters. (Matthew 7:16)

Sometimes, God allows us to be brought to the end of ourselves, to the humblest and lowest points, so He can guide us back home. For Naomi, this journey was not only physical but deeply spiritual. When she returned to Bethlehem, the town was stirred with her arrival. Her old friends, shocked by how much she had changed, asked, “Can this really be Naomi?”

“When I lost everything, Jesus became my everything. Even in my doubt and when I couldn’t even pursue him with my whole heart in the midst of hurt, skewed perceptions, questions and pain, He kept pursuing me. All He offered to me was a choice to no longer be bound by fear but to trust once again in Him, that He was who He said He was and would never leave me nor forsaken me, even if I had lost everything else that was dear to me…”

“It takes a daily intentional act of surrender and sacrifice to pursue the presence of God. It is our privilege, honor and highest calling as Christians to pursue His presence.”

For anyone, singleness can be difficult. I hope these simple truths can remind you that in the waiting, God is working in and through you to become the best person for His glory. As Christians, we have so many opportunities to be a light in dark world. You never know how your season of singleness could impact someone around you.

“For years, I have asked, pleaded and begged God to answer my request and heal my body from these ailments so I can live in peace and not be in pain for 20 YEARS! WOW! …. But through that veil of tension, I have met God, His strength and provision over my life. It is through the lens of suffering that we can truly know what it means to lean on God, even when the answer doesn’t come when we thought it would and in the way we want. “

Our hearts are gates and gardens,

It must be maintained and weeded out. He promises we will be like a well watered garden.

I gave myself permission to be honest and vulnerable with my closest Friend and trust that He wouldn’t reject me…because I knew He wouldn’t. This is how safe I know God to be. He is my first love and first place to run even when I say I hate Him. He sympathizes with me.

“…It has been through this process of wrestling and pain with God that I have realized it was never about the destination, it has always been HIM… I’ll give Him the Keys to my future, let Him lock the door and throw it away! The Promise Land was never a place, but a state of mind; a place of rest where we could find freedom and true joy, contentment and satisfaction only found in the arms of the Father.’