Hey Everyone! Today ya'll get a special treat. My wonderful friend Amanda who blogs over at Canadian Christian Gal has decided to guest post for me today! Amanda and I lived together in our first year of university and she has remained a good friend since then. She is one of my biggest blog supporters (and I her) and for that I am so grateful.
Please join me in welcoming her to Living as a Single Gal! Hope you enjoy what she has to say.
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I can't tell
you how many times I have listened to the words “God bless the broken road that
lead me straight to you” from the Simon and Garfunkel song, and thought about
how true it is. Yet when I really stop
and think about it, I realise something much deeper. God really is taking all of the broken,
challenging, heartbreaking, messy, frustrating, tear filled, (you get the
picture), moments in my life and is using them to build me up for something
better.
I don't mean
any disrespect to those men and guys in my life that have been part of that
path, but it is so wonderful to think that God has something better than any of
those friendships. Along the way I have mad many times of struggling to move
past those moments of brokenness in order to keep walking where God leads me
next. I can't tell you how many times I have asked, (and still continue to ask)
God why exactly he did something in my life.
One of the
overall things that God has taught me through my friendships and relationships
with guys is that people are people: God
has taught me that yes, people will fail me... and that makes it even more
amazing when I reflect on how He is a loving father and friend that will never
leave me. How beautiful and comforting it
is to know that He will be there no matter what I go through, and that it is
not because of anything I can even do to deserve it... He loves me with an
unconditional love.
Through other friendships God has taught me patience. I was not allowed to date until I was 18, and
I am so thankful for that. This 'rule'
stopped me from a lot of potentially ridiculous relationships. Through the
friendships with these guys however, God worked a lot in my life. I;ve learned what it meant to truly thirst and
hunger for God's word (after what started out to be a routine simply done to
impress a guy... wrong motives that God actually used to get me into a routine
that actually led to me honestly desiring to read more of His word). I've also learned through another friendship
what it meant to have a servant heart, to serve others without restraint. There is also a lot about myself that God has
taught me through friendships with guys, and my one serious relationship.
I have
learned that my love language to give is encouraging words, and acts of
service. I was blessed with many
opportunities to display these both, and it was such a great experience to show
love to someone in that way. I've also
learned that I am someone who feels love best by physical touch, even the most
simple thing as sitting across from someone with our feet touching (silly
sounding, but it brought such a joy just to be close to someone in that
smallest way). God has also helped me
learn what qualities are non-negotiable for me in a guy. For example I have learned that I am not good
with others raising their voice. I do
not know where this came from, but through situations (including attending
sporting events with guys who are very into their sports) I understand that I
have a low tolerance for 'frustrated' or 'angry' voice-raising.
Another
thing that I have learned from the 'broken road' thus far is that God is able
to bring us through anything. In my last
relationship there were a lot of struggles that we went through as a
couple. God taught me a lot in those,
and helped use my boyfriend at the time to help me get through some rough times
as well. God knew that I needed to be
challenged and pulled, and He gave me a good friend to help point me towards
God as my source of strength. One of the
most amazing blessings that I had in that relationship was the opportunity to
pray with my boyfriend, and to be prayed over.
What a joy prayer is, especially being able to go to God in prayer with another
person.
God blesses
us with other people to interact with.
These people are used to help us grow, encourage us, and to challenge
us. I know that at the various parts of
the 'broken road' it seems as though
things are hindrances rather than parts of the road that will lead us forward;
however much later on we are able to look back and say “God bless the broken
road”. I want to challenge you to think
about whether the ‘you’ of the song may in fact not be that knight in shining
armour that we believe God is leading us to.... when it may in fact be God
Himself that the broken road is leading us to.
