Fairytales - Part 2
The feedback I received in 2010 from my Fairytales blog was encouraging! I was overjoyed women and men were able to relate to it. And I’m blown away that in 2020 I continue to receive messages from people who relate to my own journey.
Something that stood out in several FB messages, DMs and conversations is this idea that young women don’t deserve a Christian man because of the mistakes they have made in the past. Or that a woman might not be "Christian" enough to deserve a man of faith.
As my good friend Lulie would say, "Those are lies from the pit of hell". I wish you could hear her say it. I literally saved a voicemail she left me so I could listen to it when I needed to be reminded that the devil came to kill, steal and destroy. I can hear her saying it right now- southern, Alabama accent and all. :)
The devil wants you to believe you’re broken and worthless. He wants women to date guys that aren't centered on faith so that our relationships have little to no chance of honoring God. But God desires more for us. He designed us to live life abundantly.
I won’t air my whole testimony via the internet, but I will say my past is ugly. All of our pasts are ugly and we all carry baggage. We aren't perfect, and being Christian doesn't mean you ARE perfect. It means when you are walking with Christ you veer off course less, and are quicker to get back on the right path. Guilt comes as a result of being out of step with God’s design. So when we sin, we need to take that to the great Forgiver. When we repent and stop doing what we feel guilty about, our guilt is covered by the blood of Christ.
The image of a bride in white.
It symbolizes the purity; which we have through the blood of Jesus.
Guilty feelings linger when we choose not to accept God's forgiveness. I used to struggle with that. Then a friend told me, "by not forgiving yourself, you are saying that Christ's death wasn't good enough for you." That tough to hear! But it was also true. Either Christ died for everything or he died for nothing. No sin is too big for Him. So whatever it is you have done, whatever mistakes you have made, you are a new creation and saved by grace (Hebrews 10:19-22, Titus 3:5, Revelation 1:5). If you have guilt over part of your past that you’ve never shared; tell someone you trust. The Devil has less power when we bring that darkness to light.
Many women like me have a hard time accepting God's forgiveness. We struggle with feelings of unworthiness. We are forgiven yet continue to walk in condemnation and seek self-worth in the opposite sex. If we do not believe and obey God's Word regarding our sin, we will stay in emotional bondage, crippled by guilt and feelings of unworthiness. But when we do believe and when we do obey, we can be set free from this emotional bondage and begin to walk in the light of God's forgiveness and love.
Once forgiven, there is no need to continue to feel guilty. God wants you to walk in His forgiveness. He wants you to accept it as a gift. And I encourage you to be patient. Wait for God's timing for the man that he wants you to marry, and he will bless you.
Seek your self worth, your identity in the God who made you. Serve Him while you are waiting rather than chasing this idea of a future spouse. And rather than just dating to date; BE INTENTIONAL. I dare you to see how much better that works out. If you can’t see yourself marrying the person you are dating, then I would urge you to re-evaluate the relationship.
And remember, you deserve it. You deserve a Godly man who is going to love and honor you. God loves you (mistakes and all!) and wants the absolute best for you.
