Most every girl dreams of getting married and having kids. I do know a few that didn't have this "dream", but I was definitely one of them that did! I love kids and everything in me wanted to get married and have children of my own. God has really been working in me lately to let go of this desire. I have been reading passion and purity by Elisabeth Elliot and it's really been making me understand how much of a distraction getting married can be. Elisabeth Elliot is a very wise woman who absolutely loves the Lord! She is someone who I consider to be a strong woman in the Lord. Yet she had many struggles with her relationship with the Lord when she was courting her late husband Jim Elliot. I always thought that if I could find a strong man of God to be my husband we would not have those challenges that many christians face while being in relationships. One of them being forgetting God because we get too busy thinking of that special someone. I just figured If he was a godly man he would constantly be drawing me to the Lord not distracting me. Jim was definitely a a godly man who was strong in the Lord yet Elisabeth struggled with trusting God with their relationship and there were many times that she would get distracted by thinking about Jim instead of God. So anyways... After saying all of this I have let go of the dream of getting married and having kids. I realize that although this is something that would be wonderful and I'm sure God could still use me an teach me many things through it, I believe He has a different plan for me. I know this will be hard! And I will have many moments where I am weak and have this desire again, but I am now embracing God's dream for me instead of my own. Whatever it may be! I desire to follow His will completely, never forgetting Him or putting anyone in my life above Him! Besides if His will is for me to work in an orphanage, which I believe it is, I will have tons of kids to take care of and love even if they aren't technically mine! God has definitely blessed me with the gift of loving other people's children as if they were my own. :-)
In Christ's awesome love,
Julie
