Preparing for a Relationship - By Sabrina Santiago

   Waiting can be a challenging thing, especially when all of your friends are engaged or married.

 Girls, to be completely honest, I understand truly! But, just because that is not us right now, does not mean that we “lost our chance” or “missed it.” We are in the preparation for it :)

 I’m 22- I’ll be 23 in the beginning of July. With that being said, I understand the church culture pressure of being married before a certain age, and it has definitely gotten to me at times and still does.

 As I have gotten older, my view of marriage has developed into a more realistic matter, knowing that whoever I choose will be the person I cord with forever, and will be the father of my future children. Ask me a year or two ago, and I would have thought of marriage in a naive setting.

Girls, waiting is a definite preparation…even in our own mentality/maturity. But, something I will add, maturity can develop in a sudden time. It doesn’t always have to take “years.”

 It may not feel or look like it, but a waiting season is a preparation season in every aspect. Everyday we are growing, and everyday we become wiser than we once were, and that’s what growing is all about- constantly being teachable.

 Lately, preparation has looked like consecration and honestly, “isolation.” I wouldn’t exactly say “isolation” for sure, but I would say something quite similar. When God prepares you for something great, sometimes it feels like you're going through a weird/lonely time, and yes it is a season, but it’s a preparation season and God needs you to remove yourself from constant voices swaying you in different ways. He’s teaching us to recognize His voice so that we will rely on Him solely…and that’s what I can testify for myself.

 What God is doing in you for preparation is greater than you may think or feel. It may not look/feel like you're being prepared for something grand, but in due time He will show you, and everything you thought was “little” or “unimportant” to God in this refining season will display just how important it really was…for a time that you will need to remember what you have been trained in :)

 To all my girls still waiting, keep waiting… and trust in the Lord. It’s not silly, and it’s not unrealistic to hold a standard of what you desire in a husband and how you will prepare and wait for him. There’s still “God-stories” when it comes to marriage, but the real question is, will you wait even when culture says “your times up?” Because it’s NOT… but will you still hold on in discouraging moments?

God loves us more than we can imagine, and marriage is a GOOD THING. It has always been a powerful and beautiful covenant…which is why waiting for it is so honorable in God’s eyes.

 Keep preparing. Continue praying for your spouse, and continue working on yourself so that when both paths are crossed, you will be all that he needs and he will be all that you need. There is such a beauty in preparing for something beautiful, and I know that God will fulfill every desire for His glory, but it takes our participation.

 You did not miss it, and you did not lose your chance. Continue consecrating, seeking, serving, loving, and refining.

 He’s going to bless you :)