Warning...this post may be tough love, but know I speak from a place of love for I too was a temper tantrum, pity party-thrower in my single days.
For a single person the waiting game is torturous and one can spend vasts amounts of energy wondering when the pain and/or loneliness will end. It's amazing the amount of time, thought, and sleepless nights we spend wondering when God will bless us with our One. I'm here to challenge you to put those thoughts in God's hands already! Give up your dream of a happily ever after, because let's be honest, you're not as in control as you think. And if you choose to try to be, rather than giving it over God, your 'happy ending' may really be your 'unhappy-what the heck did I get myself into?!' (and are you really willing to suffer the even more exhausting and painful process of a divorce?).
Many singles I speak with claim faith in God. And in the good times in their lives, God is exalted as being a pretty cool guy. But, singleness upon them, the story changes...bring on the temper tantrums and pity parties (I was quite the hostess of such parties as previously mentioned). We bemoan God's seeming inaction in our life and there goes our opinion of that cool Guy cause He apparently forgot about us.
The Bible tells us Noah took 120 years to build that monstrosity of an ark. 120 YEARS! That's more than a lifetime to us in this day and age! Yet, 120 years he spent being obedient, building an ark while people called him a fool, and waiting for that supposed rain that would flood the earth. 120 years he waited and trusted on what God promised, and as singles we struggle with a few months or years?! We become arrogant thinking we know what's best for us, when God is probably giving you some time to sort out the garbage in your lives in order to make you spouses who are not only worthy of that forever love you long for, but are strong enough and wise enough to endure the pains and hard times that kind of love will bring. Is marriage amazing? ABSOLUTELY! Is it perfect? NO! It's hard and you gotta work at it every day and that requires a lot of spiritual wisdom and a life completely surrendered to God because hubbies and wifeys are not perfect and they will let you down and sometimes they are unlovable and sometimes you will be unlovable and then what?So my question stands...how long is too long? I say...as long as it takes! And when the One comes along you will know them without a shadow of a doubt because you will see him/her through the spiritual eyes (wisdom) God has gifted you with and you-WILL-know.
“You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. For in just a very little while, ‘He who is coming will come and will not delay.’” Hebrews 10:36-37 (NIV)
PS - Here's a story of waiting that made me smile...she was 33 when she got married...I believe her wait was quite worth it!
