Not to long ago I attended one of our foster/adoptive mom support group sessions. Let's be real, these meetings are held in a corner booth of the best Mexican restaurant in town and conversations happen over cheese dip, tons of chips, and margaritas. I've had the privilege of getting to connect with some amazing women during these meetings. Since we have moved, I'd happily drive over an hour to sit with them and spill my guts. During our last group session one of the seasoned foster moms who has been an amazing voice in the foster care community said something profound... that, let's face it, shouldn't be so profound.

I want to share a story...

In the last few weeks I have spent several hours washing my families dirty laundry at the laundromat. Each time I need a load cleaned and dried I have to deposit quarters into the machine. With each quarter I get closer to the promise that I’ll end up with a load of clean clothes. I have been think a lot about these deposits and the promise that when I leave I’ll have baskets of clean clothes and my family will have what they need for the week.

My husband and I had been married 6 years and had just had our 3rd baby boy before I ever remember praying together with purpose. It happened one evening after an accident with our oldest son that could have been a much worse tragedy than it was. As a momma who fiercely protected her children in prayer, I found myself sobbing in a hot shower and crying to God. I was so thankful for the protection my son received but also needed to release all the stress, anxiety, and fear that I had inside me. During that moment of complete surrender my husband stepped in and prayed. Completely understanding what I needed at that moment. It would take years later for us to be able to share in prayer together regularly and I wish I had been more open to praying with him much sooner than I had.

Once we started praying together, or even apart but in unity, we saw God do amazing things in our marriage and life together.

Yearning by definition is an intense longing for something.  It is a craving, a desire, a hunger, and even a thirst.

In recent months I have had the pleasure of praying with several friends who are keeping the dream alive that they might one day meet a wonderful man, the man who would become a husband.  With each conversation I see and hear the heart of every woman.  No matter if we are married, engaged, or single; there is a deep part of each of us that God created to be a bride.  It is written time and again throughout scripture that true believers will one day become the Bride of Christ.  There is a breathtaking parallel that Scripture makes between falling in love on earth and falling in Love with Jesus.  If we, as women, would yearn for the closeness of Jesus like we yearn for the closeness of an earthly companion, our lives would be stunningly transformed.

Our Heavenly Father designed us to be unique in our femininity and He knows how to sing love songs to us.  He uses Scripture to romance us into loving Him the way He loves us.  He is our heavenly Bridegroom.  He woos, wins, and weds us; His heart breaks when we are unfaithful.  For some of us, it may be time to stop looking so hard for our husbands to become the perfect spouse or for "Mr. Right" to walk through the door.  For some of us, it's time we date Jesus.

When you put your trust in Christ, you are betrothed to Him.

As a bridegroom rejoices over his bride, so will your God rejoice over you. -Isaiah 62:5b

This subject can be uncomfortable at first, for some.  If you do not have or even yearn for the deep love of Christ over that of an earthly relationship, you may struggle with this and that is okay.  I do believe it is meant for you.   Maybe you have heard about Jesus' love for you but just do not understand the depth of His own desire for your heart.  Jesus loves you and He longs for you to love Him too.  This is the underlying theme, the substance that pumped through His veins, His passion for you.  In Him, you will find the greatest romance of your life.

One day in prayer, I closed my eyes and in the stillness a scene began to play in my mind.  I was dancing, twirling even, with Jesus.  We swayed and moved and when the dance ended, he placed my face gently in His hands and kissed my forehead.  The love He shared with me in that moment is not one I will forget.  I'm sure if you asked, He would give you the same kind of affection.  It is His hearts desire for you to know just how deeply He loves you.

Our life journey is a love story that is already being written.  We long so deeply for our spouse, boyfriend, or future companion to romance us and I am here to tell you, they all fall short of our dreams.  Many try, many do such an amazing job, many fall extremely short but if we will let our Jesus provide that deep, deep desire first it will only lift up what our husbands do when we see them becoming more and more like Christ themselves.  Jesus is calling ladies. 

More on this topic to come...
​Be blessed.