Last summer, at the end of the school year, I treated myself to a massage. I am not a particularly girly girl, but I love a nice, relaxing massage and cleansing facial when they are in my budget. The massage therapist was going through her checklist of questions and asked me about back pain. I told her that I had been experiencing a lot of back pain for several months and had been getting massages as often as I could. I explained to her that about thirteen years ago, I was in four car accidents over a period of about six months. None were my fault. I was only driving in two of them. So, every now and then, my back starts to act up. She did her best with my massage and I felt a great deal of relief and relaxation, but she recommended that I see a chiropractor because she said something did not feel right.

I followed the advice of my massage therapist and made an appointment at the chiropractor. I had never been and I was a little leery of what may transpire. The doctor asked me tons of questions, looked at my mobility, traced my spine, and told me that I should get an x-ray and come back in a couple of days. I did so, and he called me in to show me my x-ray. He asked if anyone had ever mentioned to me that I had scoliosis. I replied that my sister and I were advised at a very young age to stop taking gymnastics because our doctor said we had a slight curvature, but then, no other doctor had mentioned it. He went on to show me the ‘C’ in my spine that should not be there. He also pointed out how at the top of my spine, it is nearly straight where it should be curved. That happened in one of my many accidents. Then, we looked at my hips, which were twisted because of the curve in my back. I had been compensating for this genetic ailment and it resulted in several bones being out of alignment.

Nearly every health problem that I had that year, including back pain, knee pain and headaches, could be traced to my spine being out of alignment. The doctor recommended physical therapy. I went for three days a week at first. I felt almost instant relief. Then, as time went on I went one day a week. Then, one day every other week. And now, I go when I feel out of whack or get a bad headache.

It occurred to me recently that this episode with my back was not unlike how I approached my singleness. When I was first divorced, I compensated for being single by going out with people I had no business dating, but after a while, I cleaned that part of my life up and started building my relationship with God. So, I forgot that I had a propensity toward making bad relationship choices when I entered into my next relationship. Getting over that break up was more miserable than any other breakup.

I became extremely negative about the prospect of having a successful relationship or even marriage. Some people made comments about my singleness, but no one is a harsher critic of me than me. I would say that I want to be in a relationship, but if I am truthful, I did not really believe it would happen. I thought I was too damaged, too undeserving to be loved. Then, it occurred to me that I needed to make some adjustments. I needed to adjust my spiritual walk and find satisfaction in Christ Jesus. And, I needed to adjust my thought life; I needed to stop doubting that God could send me the exact person for whom I have been waiting.

Just like the chiropractic adjustments, I need to make a blatant effort to make these adjustments daily until they become a natural part of my routine. Then, as they become more natural, I may only have to make an adjustment every once in a while when I am really in pain and I need more than what comes naturally. The point is that we have to make a choice each day to be positive and full of faith. God has proven that He is faithful and able. We must adjust our thoughts and believe.

Prayer

Thank You, God for helping me make
adjustments to my spiritual walk and thought life.
Please forgive me for being overtly and subconsciously negative
about what you can do in my life .
Lord, please help me to stay positive and
help my unbelief.
In Jesus’ Name,
Amen

*Scripture quotations are from the New International Version ©1984, unless otherwise indicated. 

If you found a lamp, rubbed it, and a genie popped out saying, “I will grant you three wishes,” what would you wish for? Many people answer that question with, “more wishes!” Some people would wish for money, some would wish for fame, some, especially if they are reading this, might wish for a loving spouse. I would love to be all holier-than-thou and say that I would wish for world peace or something selfless, but I know me better than that.

It is okay to fantasize about what you would wish for with your magical wishes; however, too many of us treat God like He is a genie. We treat him as if He is responsible for giving us our every desire. All we have to do it name it and claim it or blab it and grab it. God is NOT a genie. Yes, God wants us to come to Him with our every desire. But, God also wants us to be so in tune with Him that His desires for our lives become our desires.

A genie lives in a bottle. He is summoned out when someone rubs the lamp, and then, he grants the wishes and goes back to the lamp. Can you imagine what this world would be like if God was limited to only acting upon our selfish whims? I do not even want to think about it. What if God was confined to a small lamp? The God I serve is way too big for that!

Still, we read verses like Mark 11:24 and misinterpret it to mean that we can just make our three wishes, believe with all of our hearts, God will say the magic words and then our desire will appear. That is not how it works. If that were the case, yours truly would not be single and childless. We can absolutely ask God for whatever we desire, but we need to understand that if it is not in His Will, He will say “no.”

When Jesus asked God to spare Him from the crucifixion, God said, “no.” Notice what Jesus prayed, though, He said, “Nevertheless, not My will, but Thy will be done.” That is the part we forget. We ask God for a myriad of people, places and things to come into our lives, but we give no thought to the fact that God wants us to live our best life; the life that will bring Him glory. Ask, seek, and knock; the Word of God says you can. Just be sure that you are asking for more of God, seeking His face and knocking on doors of opportunity to be more like Him. Then, you will have everything you desire and even more than you could ever imagine.

Prayer

Thank You, God for hearing my prayers of supplication.
Please forgive me for being selfish when I make requests to You.
Lord, please help me to know the desires You have for my life
and to request that which will draw me closer to You.
In Jesus’ Name,
Amen

*Scripture quotations are from the New International Version ©1984, unless otherwise indicated. 

One of the most dangerous things a single Christian can do is start looking around at other single people, especially those that are not Christians. Inevitably, it will seem as though we are doing everything right, but remain single while they are doing everything wrong and are dating and happy. Looking around at other people’s lives is detrimental to your spiritual walk, so do not do it. The devil knows this weapon of mass destruction. He will whisper in your ear every time you look at another person who has what you believe you want and try to convince you that God is holding out on you.

Here are some examples: you go out with friends, dressed in an appealing, but modest way. Your smile catches the attention of some men, but every time you look around, the men are dancing, flirting, or talking with a girl who is not leaving anything to the imagination. You start to think, “What gives? I am presenting myself in an appropriate way. I am not being overtly sexual, but I am also not a prude. Why don’t I get any attention?”

For the guys, you engage a woman in intelligent conversation. You make her laugh and maybe you even compliment her. But, you see her desperately pursuing a guy who talks down to her and grabs her backside. You start to think, “Is being a respectful guy even worth it? Why do nice guys finish last?”

In all honesty, are these really the people we want in our lives? Hopefully, the answer is no. If not, you may want to take some time and pray about that. God knows what is best for us. I know that it seems like we are doing everything right (although, there is always room for improvement) and remain single. Meanwhile, others are drinking heavily, having casual sex, and just being plain wrong, but they get to be a part of a couple. But the happiness that those who behave wickedly seem to be enjoying is fleeting. The joy of the obedient Christian is eternal.

While it may look like the wicked are prospering and the wise are suffering, consider that there would be far worse suffering if we chose the path of the wicked over patiently waiting on God. Do not get caught up in looking around at other people. Be content with what God has given you in this moment, knowing that He cares for you and knows what is best for you. It matters not whether those behaving badly are happy. That is between them and God. What truly matters is that we trust God enough to believe in His promises for our lives and not to focus on others.

Prayer

Thank You, God for being faithful and trustworthy.
Please forgive me for being envious of what others have
especially when they are not living in obedience to You.
Lord, please help me to be still, steadfast and content
knowing that You know what is best for me and when to add it to my life.
In Jesus’ Name,
Amen

*Scripture quotations are from the New International Version ©1984, unless otherwise indicated.