LIWD :: day 25 :: Pre-Romantic Stress Disorder

You have just returned home from a great singles retreat where you once again surrendered your frustration as a single in exchange for God's peace and contentment.  As you listen to your answering machine, you hear a certain voice.  The most sought-after bachelor you know sks you for a date next weekend.  Do you remain calm and give your expectations to the Lord?  Or do you jump back in your car and head to the mall to register your china and look at some wedding gowns?  Would the prospect of a date with the most eligible bachelor in town cause you to experience the "Pre-romantic Stress Disorder"?  Or would you surrender your expectations to Jesus?

For a single woman to experience genuine contentment while soloing in a "couple's world," she must avoid the ditches of discontentment.  She needs to learn the mystery of contentment and its power over the restless torture of her desire.

...

Circumstantially, Ruth had the perfect excuse to be discontented.  Widowed at a young age, her circumstances provided the perfect breeding ground for self-pity and bitterness....  Yet Ruth chose to cling to the God of Israel, whom she found to be trustworthy even in difficult circumstances.

Would the prospect of a date with the most eligible bachelor in town cause you to experiend the "Pre-romantic Stress Disorder"?

For as long as I can remember, I've been a daydreamer.  I've fantasized about 1st kisses, weddings, vacations, relationships...just the future in general.  These fantasies or daydreams can be harmless...so long as I don't let them set my expectations.  Reality rarely aligns with fantasy.  When you've set in your mind how you want something to work out...down to the most minute detail...you are sure to be disappointed.

I like to indulge myself in daydreams, and I don't think there's anything wrong with that.  I just need to remember that what I decide in my fantasies is not real.  Only God can dictate the future.  Only God can decide what will happen next. 

Putting my trust fully in God can be difficult.  I know that God has plans for my future.  I know that if I follow His will I can live out the future He desires for me to have.  I know that if I stay in His word, and listen to what He is telling me and go where He is leading me, I will be fulfilling His will.