FINDING YOUR SOUL MATE
Navigating life in a spiritually dark world is tough. God made us to be in relationship with each other, so finding our way can feel even tougher as a single person. Finding that one individual to share our hopes and dreams with can seem like finding a needle in a haystack; however, it isn’t God’s will for us to be alone. Prayerfully asking Him for direction on where to look gets results.
Everything in life has a season, including being single or married. When we’re dating, relying on our own efforts to develop relationships can result in frustration and discouragement. In this area, it’s wise to trust God, who is a master at bringing people together. Opening ourselves up to His guidance allows Him to tell us the specifics of what we need to know. “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths” (Proverbs 3:5, 6).
Successful marriage relationships are based on a personal relationship with God, first. He knows how to pair people who need to be together much better than we do. It all began in the garden of Eden when God gave Adam the kind of relationship he needed to succeed in life.
Then the LORD God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper who is just right for him...” So the LORD God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep. While the man slept, the LORD God took out one of the man’s ribs and closed up the opening. Then the LORD God made a woman from the rib, and he brought her to the man. “At last!” the man exclaimed. “This one is bone from my bone, and flesh from my flesh! She will be called ‘woman,’ because she was taken from ‘man’” (Genesis 2:18, 21-24, NLT).Godly relationships enable men and women to complement each other.
God knows just who will bring out the best in us. A strong woman won’t just passively sit back and let her husband make the wrong decision; sometimes her strong opposition to a bad choice he’s about to make is based on biblical wisdom that allows her to see the issue from a different perspective. “As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend”(Proverbs 27:17, NLT). In a marriage relationship operating correctly, the wife keeps the husband sharp and on his toes. This is because the marriage began as a friendship between two people who genuinely care about each other’s well-being.
Letting God choose our “one and only” far surpasses us trying to do it ourselves; we run the risk of ending up unequally yoked in a bad relationship. It’s tempting to get impatient, but God operates according to His own timeline. “The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake…” (2 Peter 3:9, NLT). God knows things we don’t; His Spirit will lead us away from dangerous relationships and toward the ones that cause us to grow and flourish.
In the meantime, we must love ourselves for who we are. God made us in His own image, and He doesn’t make mistakes. “I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well” (Psalm 139:14). When He finally presents us with that special and unique someone, our hearts can give Him thanks and praise.