“You have to do your part, and God will do the rest.” I heard this all the time growing up, but little did I know how much it would apply later…to my dating life.
First and foremost, we are not excused from doing the work, darling. God is so good, but He doesn’t just deliver husbands to living rooms on Christmas Eve 😉 But He does have a plan for us (a really beautiful one!) and He walks with us every step of the way. He’s there for every lesson, every heartbreak, every emotion, and every smitten moment. And no one puts on a grand finale quite like He does – so hang in there, because He will fill your heart and blow your mind!
But what does it mean to trust God in dating?
Well, there are a few understandings that I’ve found make a big difference:
What God has for you, no one (and nothing) can take.
Even though you have to put in the effort, you can also rest easy, darling. Because you don’t have to worry about beating someone else to the punch or racing against the clock.
If that man is truly meant for you, he’s not just gonna end up with someone else first. And your chance at romance isn’t gonna turn into a pumpkin at the stroke of midnight. You can take the necessary detours and trust the process, because this isn’t a sprint to the finish line. In other good news, you’re not in competition with your single sisters. God has different plans and different partners for each of you. There’s more than enough to go around, so you don’t have to take each other down.
When we take away the stress and the mess of tight timelines and a scarcity mindset, we can truly open ourselves up to the full extent of the process, which is crucial because…
He’s actively preparing your heart.
That’s right, girlfriend, dating is much more about the journey than the destination. God is using this time to prepare you for your person. At a wedding almost a decade ago, the priest said something to the bride and groom that has stayed with me ever since:
“God has spent every moment of your lives, leading up to today, preparing your hearts for one another.”
How amazing is that?! I realized then and there that God was intentionally orchestrating my life not only to shape me as a person, but to prepare me as a potential partner. And thank goodness, right? Because I’m pretty sure that super sacred meeting with our spouse on the altar is not one we want to show up less than prepared for!
So, next time you feel like it’s taking too long…
Next time you think you took a turn that surely sent you off course…
Next time you’re fighting an uphill battle and it feels like there’s no reason for it…
Trust the process. And know that it’s not only okay, but also part of your preparation.
And in those moments, when you struggle to remember that, you can at least rest in this…
He’s even more invested in your love story than you are.
Trust me, God is more invested in every part of your life – including your love life – than you are. It took me a while (and plenty of denial!) before I came to believe this. But really, how could your creator not be completely invested in every part of who you are? Spoiler alert: He is. And He’s attentive to each defining aspect, because He made you with great intention.
So, even when it doesn’t feel like it, your happiness is a priority for Him. But, because He has that all-knowing and all-powerful thing going on, He’s playing the long game for you. He’s not going to let you settle for scraps just for some subpar, temporary satisfaction. No, no, darling, He’s going to carry you through the hard stuff to make sure you receive the ultimate!
He is the author of love, itself, and He is writing your story with purposeful promise and more beauty than you can even imagine.
