...On Being Single, Christian, And Female Over 30 In 2016...

BEING SINGLE IS HARD

(The Article That Sparked This Conversation)

#THIS Article (Link Above) Is As Real As It Gets...

We Were Made To Be Coupled, And There Isn't A Flaw In Knowing That A Huge Portion Of Your Destiny Is Attached To The Mate That God's Chosen For You In His Perfect Will - And, Even A Permissive Will Partner Might Be More Desirable Than An Eternity Of Singleness Some Days... Yet, For The Single Amongst Us - The "Church" Is Negligent...

Being Single Doesn't Mean You're Not Ready Or Not Whole... Some Of You Couples Just Settled Rather Than Being Alone While We Continue To Ready Ourselves For Someone Who's Face We've Never Seen (And, That's Called #Faith). And--The Not Settling - That Proves Both #SelfLoveMastery, #Wholeness And #Readiness... #RealTalk

#SoWeWorkWhileWeWait
#ProactiveAndOverPrepared

PS: Here Is A Poignant Response To This Article:

 WHAT SHALL WE SAY TO THESE THINGS? THE IMPLICATIONS OF BLACK WOMEN'S SINGLENESS

And, The Tree Was Happy... (The Christ-Like Tree)

I Fɪɴᴅ Tʀᴇᴍᴇɴᴅᴏᴜs Pᴇᴀᴄᴇ, Sᴀᴛɪsғᴀᴄᴛɪᴏɴ Aɴᴅ Jᴏʏ Iɴ Hᴀᴠɪɴɢ Eᴍᴘᴀᴛʜʏ Aɴᴅ Aɢᴀᴘᴇ Fᴏʀ Tʜᴏsᴇ Iɴ Mʏ Lɪғᴇ Wʜᴏ Aʀᴇɴ'ᴛ Nᴇᴄᴇssᴀʀɪʟʏ Wᴏʀᴛʜʏ, Bᴜᴛ Wʜᴏ Hᴀᴠᴇ Fᴏᴜɴᴅ A Pʟᴀᴄᴇ Iɴ Mʏ Hᴇᴀʀᴛ Nᴏɴᴇᴛʜᴇʟᴇss... Iᴛ Dᴏᴇs Sᴏᴍᴇᴛʜɪɴɢ Fᴏʀ Mʏ Sᴏᴜʟ Tᴏ Bᴇ Aʙʟᴇ Tᴏ Sᴇᴇ Tʜᴇ Pᴀɪɴ, Rᴏᴏᴛs Aɴᴅ Iɴᴛᴇɴᴛɪᴏɴs Bᴇɴᴇᴀᴛʜ Bᴇʜᴀᴠɪᴏʀ Tʜᴀᴛ Mɪɢʜᴛ Oᴛʜᴇʀᴡɪsᴇ Cᴀᴜsᴇ Mᴇ Tᴏ Iɴᴛᴇʀɴᴀʟɪᴢᴇ, Pᴜᴛ Uᴘ Wᴀʟʟs, Bᴇᴄᴏᴍᴇ Oғғᴇɴᴅᴇᴅ, Dᴇғᴇɴsɪᴠᴇ Aɴᴅ Wɪᴛʜᴅʀᴀᴡ...

"Tʜᴇ Gɪᴠɪɴɢ Tʀᴇᴇ" Wᴀs Mʏ Fᴀᴠᴏʀɪᴛᴇ Bᴏᴏᴋ Wʜᴇɴ I Wᴀs A Lɪᴛᴛʟᴇ Gɪʀʟ, Aʟᴛʜᴏᴜɢʜ Aᴛ Tʜᴇ Tɪᴍᴇ, Nᴏ Oɴᴇ Uɴᴅᴇʀsᴛᴏᴏᴅ Wʜʏ... Iᴛ Sᴇᴇᴍs Tʜᴀᴛ Nᴏ Mᴀᴛᴛᴇʀ Oᴜʀ Jᴏᴜʀɴᴇʏ, Wᴇ Aʀᴇ Wʜᴏ Wᴇ Aʀᴇ, Aɴᴅ Mʏ Hᴇᴀʀᴛ Hᴀs Fᴏᴜɴᴅ Iᴛ's Wᴀʏ Bᴀᴄᴋ Tᴏ Iᴛ's Rᴏᴏᴛs Aɴᴅ Mʏ Tʀᴜᴛʜ. Tᴏ Tʜᴇ Lɪᴛᴛʟᴇ Gɪʀʟ Wʜᴏ Lᴏᴠᴇᴅ Tʜᴀᴛ Tʀᴇᴇ. Iᴛ Gɪᴠᴇs Mᴇ Pʟᴇᴀsᴜʀᴇ Tᴏ Gɪᴠᴇ Lᴏᴠᴇ Aᴡᴀʏ. Tʜᴀᴛ Bᴏᴏᴋ Vᴀʟɪᴅᴀᴛᴇᴅ Mʏ Sᴏᴜʟ Bᴇғᴏʀᴇ I Wᴀs Eᴠᴇɴ Oʟᴅ Eɴᴏᴜɢʜ Tᴏ Uɴᴅᴇʀsᴛᴀɴᴅ Wʜʏ Oʀ Wʜᴀᴛ Iᴛ Mᴇᴀɴᴛ.

I Lᴏᴠᴇ Bᴇᴄᴀᴜsᴇ I Dᴏ. Nᴏᴛ Bᴇᴄᴀᴜsᴇ Iᴛ Is Mᴇʀɪᴛᴇᴅ Oʀ Rᴇᴄɪᴘʀᴏᴄᴀʟ. Nᴏᴛ Bᴇᴄᴀᴜsᴇ Iᴛ's Wᴇʟʟ Dᴇsᴇʀᴠᴇᴅ. Nᴏᴛ Bᴇᴄᴀᴜsᴇ Tʜᴏsᴇ I Cʜᴏᴏsᴇ Tᴏ Lᴏᴠᴇ Aʟᴡᴀʏs Tʀᴇᴀᴛ Mᴇ Wᴇʟʟ. Lᴏᴠᴇ Sɪᴍᴘʟʏ Is. Wʜᴇɴ I Aᴍ Mʏ Bᴇsᴛ Sᴇʟғ, Iᴛ Is Mʏ Cʜᴏɪᴄᴇ: Mʏ Oɴʟʏ Cʜᴏɪᴄᴇ, Rᴇɢᴀʀᴅʟᴇss Oғ Iᴛ Aʟʟ. Aɴᴅ Eᴠᴇɴ Wʜᴇɴ Iᴛ Hᴜʀᴛs, I Aᴍ Fᴀʀ Bᴇᴛᴛᴇʀ Tʜɪs Wᴀʏ...Lᴇᴀʀɴɪɴɢ Tᴏ Lᴏᴠᴇ, Iɴ Pᴀᴛɪᴇɴᴄᴇ, Aɴᴅ Iɴ Pʀᴀᴄᴛɪᴄᴇ, Wɪᴛʜᴏᴜᴛ Cᴏɴᴅɪᴛɪᴏɴs, Aɴᴅ Wɪʟʟɪɴɢ Tᴏ Gɪᴠᴇ Mʏ Aʟʟ...
‪

‎#AɴᴅTʜᴇTʀᴇᴇWᴀsHᴀᴘᴘʏ‬‬

Intimacy... (Extension Of "The Manual")

If You Really Want To Impress Me With A Great Date, Invite Me To Pray With You - Genuinely, As The Point And The Purpose Of Our Coming Together... #Presence

If You Want To Wow Me, Up The Ante To WORSHIP... #Intimacy

If You Can Truly Usher Me Into God's Authentic Presence And Connect With Me Profoundly In That Experience, You Just Might Have Me At Hello...

#SpiritualGSpot
#SatisfyMySoul
#HappySonDay

Missing Pieces...

As I Washed My Face Tonight, I Was Momentarily Frozen. I Just Stared And Stared At My Own Reflection...

In That Moment, I Realized That There Used To Be 2 People In The World Who Looked A Great Deal Like Me - Who's Faces Alone Gave Me A True Sense Of Belonging: My Mom And My Sister.

Now, There Is Only One. Perhaps, One Day, None...

There Is Somehow A Loneliness In That Revelation. A Coming To Terms--Sorrowfully... Maybe At Least One Of My Future Babies Will Look Like Me, Too. Not For Vanity -- Just For Continuity. Connection. Sameness. Family...

#MissingPieces
#MissingSisters
#BreastCancer
#Munchie

The Counterfeit: And, How NOT To Settle...

This Is A Word...

***A Good Counterfeit Can Fool The Masses, But It Cannot Fool The Master!***

Sometimes We Ask God To Reveal Someone's Character, Motives Or Heart To Us...Then When He Does, We Almost Don't Want To Believe It...

But, When Someone Shows/Tells You Who They Are, And Especially If God Exposes Their True Nature, BELIEVE IT!

When We Pray This Prayer, We're Not Always Prepared For The Outcome, Especially When The Good Doesn't Outweigh The Bad...

Our Hearts Are Eternal Optimists...Hopeless Romantics - Holding Onto Scraps And The Earliest Presentation Of Good Against All Else When The Ugly Truth Is Revealed... I Am The Queen Of This Misguided, Self Destructive, Loving Dysfunction...Holding Onto The Little Good When The Bad Has Swallowed It Whole Without A Trace...(#ImGrowing)

But, If You Pray This Prayer, And The Red Flags Turn Into Flaming Red Fires, Pick Up The Little Broken Pieces Of Your Heart, Give Them Back To God, And Trust Him That He Has Exposed These Things To Protect You From Harm And Prepare You For Greater...No Matter How Good It Felt Or How Deep The Connection SEEMED...

Letting Go Might Hurt Right Now, But That Pain Is To Save You From Yourself...And From Wasting Your Time And Your Love On Something Unworthy Of You... A Little Heartbreak Now Or A Completely Broken You Later... Choose To Love Yourself First, Let It Go, And Wait On The Right One...

***Remember A Good Counterfeit Can Fool The Masses, But It Cannot Fool The Master!***

So, Trust Him To Write Your Love Story And Get Out Of The Way...

#GodLovesYouMore

#DontSettle