Dear Diary: Where is my Husband?

Most women had a diary when they were younger where they wrote down their most intimate thoughts.  Now a day it’s called journaling, but regardless of what you call it, it’s a place to jot down our dreams, our struggles or even our desires. Over the last several months I had the privilege of talking to different women and asking them when it comes to dating and/or getting married in today’s day and age, what are they looking for in a potential mate?  I wrote this because I felt the need share the hearts of beautiful, healthy, stable women who are still single, and are asking the BIG question;
Dear Diary- Where is my husband?
Now before I continue, my “experience” of being a single woman has only been 5 years. I have friends who have been single, 10, 18 and 23 years and to my surprise, they are still waiting patiently for God to bring them their husband.
From many women the question that I hear the most is: Do good men really exist, are they truly out there?

As I share my story, I pray it brings hope to my single women friends. Trust me, you’re not forgotten, and the Lord sees the desire of your heart for a future mate.
After my late husband committed suicide, I started counseling about 6 months after he had passed. I remember going in to speak to my pastor and boldly told him “Well, I’m ready to be married again”.  To my shock, he giggled and said, “um no you’re not”.  I was a little offended that he wasn’t seeing that I was truly ready. I gathered that he just didn’t care or understand, so I went home  determined to prove him wrong.

Now 5 years later, my pastor who is also my very good friend, laugh about that story. The reason I’m sharing that vulnerable part of me is because I really wasn’t ready to get married again, in fact, I was so broken and unable to communicate with men that if I had gotten in a relationship, it would have been extremely unhealthy for me and unfair for the man.
So, then you ask, how do you know when you’re ready? Well I can’t speak for all you ladies out there, but for me personally, I knew I was ready when God healed me from the hatred towards men.
Yes, you heard me right!  You see, I didn’t know I had a hatred towards men because I was so busy “looking” for a man that I didn’t have time to process my pain. This pain went deeper than just my late husband, it took me back to my relationship with my dad.  The feelings of unworthiness, being rejected and always searching for love in all the wrong places (that’s a song by the way) had me looking for the wrong thing.

I was looking for validation from a man because I never got it from my dad or my late husband. Validation is important. As children, if we don’t get validated from our parents, we grow up with a sense of longing for something, but we never know what it is. For men, they may go out and sow their royal oats per say, for women, they may feel the need to try to impress or get the man’s attention but don't realize why.
Its an endless hole that is always trying to be filled with the wrong thing.  When praying for your future husband ladies, I want to share some wisdom with you. Again, this is my own personal experience, but I feel in my heart it could speak to many of you.
 
First thing, make sure you are healed. Now does this mean you have to be 100% healed? In my own opinion, we will only be 100% when we get to heaven. But if we’re are here on earth, there will always be something we will walk through. Even the Apostle Paul, with everything he did after his conversation to Christ, still had to walk out many things. He never got rid of the thorn in his flesh. (2Cor 12:7)
Second, thing is (and I learned this too), you don’t have to go on an expedition to find your husband.  The bible says: Prov 18:22 -The man who finds a wife, finds a treasure, and he receives favor from the LORD
OK now let me break the stigma of what many think this scripture means. Does it mean that we stay home, watch TV and never leave the house, and God will miraculously drop our future husband on our door step and boom he finds us? No- that is not what it means. I used to believe this and that is why I would tell my friends, I was going to pray that God give my future husband a GPS, because I thought he got lost and he's not stopping to ask for directions to my house, ha ha.  
However, what this scripture is saying, is women you don’t have to go out and hunt down every single man in church to see if he’s your potential husband. You could very well find yourself saying, oh maybe that’s him, wait no that’s him, oh wait no that’s him. You get what I’m saying here.

  You are to be present, and available but not screaming “I AM HERE COME TO ME”.  Less is more and trust me, when its God’s timing, your husband will find you.  Look at the book of Ruth!
 Boaz didn’t just see her, he “heard” about her. Ruth 2: 11 Boaz replied, “I’ve been told all about what you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband—how you left your father and mother and your homeland and came to live with a people you did not know before. 12 May the Lord repay you for what you have done. May you be richly rewarded by the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge.”
 
Third; modesty IS a beautiful thing.   Now I know we all want to look nice, and I get that. But you don’t have to wear short skirts and open cleavage to get the attention of a man. You may attract something you didn’t bargain for.   Yep I said it. You don’t have to agree, but if you truly love yourself, a Godly man can be enticed by your heart, not your chest or your bottom.
 1Peter 3:3-4 Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.
Now does it mean you dress down, never wear make up and leave your hair looking like a hot mess?  OMG please do not do that. I’m simply saying, your beauty has to first be inward, and it will reflect the outward.

Last, not every many you date is the “ONE”. I have heard of women going out on dates, only to become best friends with the guy they dated. It wasn’t a bad thing, it just wasn’t a God thing. Its ok to date, but if you’re going to date, date intentional. I recently went out for the first time since 1988. (Like I’m being for real here.) I had not dated since I went out with my late husband. That’s been 30 years! A lot of dating rules have changed in 30 years. I honestly had (and probably still have) no earthly idea how to date. I had weird silences, talked too much and didn’t fully know how to show how I felt. I was pretty blessed to have such a kind and easy-going man who was sweet enough to understand my complete awkwardness.  
What this experience did do for me, was show me I didn’t hate men, I loved being around different personalities, I wasn’t going to find my husband in my living room, and it awakened feelings in my heart I thought were dead. I experienced butterflies, nervousness and excitement all at the same time.   All those feelings, were still there in my heart, but I had buried them after my husband passed away. Experiencing this made me feel as if I was 17 years old again and it was absolutely amazing!

Today, I  want to encourage all of my beautiful single women friends. Your husband is not lost, he is not going to come to your living and he is not going to be the first guy you see at church. What I will tell you is, wherever your “BOAZ” is, as you go and do your thang for Jesus, whether its ministry, being a full time mom or student, going to bible college, working a full time job; as you keep your eyes focused on the Lord, the time will come when your husband comes and finds you.
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Is it ok to admire one’s handsomeness? Yes, that is ok to think a man is handsome. Don’t get caught up in religion here, you are human after all.
The important thing is to continue to be you. Love God, love people, and as you’re “doing” he will come.
 
 
I’d love to hear your comments!
~Broken Beautiful Ministries 
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