Sleeping deeply

"So Adam gave names to all cattle, to the birds of the air, and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper comparable to him. And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept; and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh of its place. Then the rib which the Lord God had taken from man He made into a woman, and He brought her to the man." Genesis 2:20-22

A friend and I were talking right before we parted ways for summer break. She has just begun to court a fine young gentleman on campus, and I was going through some guy-complications with two friends of mine. We were comparing notes while swinging at a park, and I mentioned the fact that some of my woes would be less complicated if some guys and girls would stop being so DESPERATE.

"Don't they realize that singleness is a blessing too? I mean, don't get me wrong. I WANT a boyfrieind, I am looking forward to the day when Mr. Right steps into my life and whisks me off my feet. But do we have to put our lives on hold until that day comes? I mean seriously. The Apostle Paul talkes about how he wished that all could remain as him - single - because it was so much simpler. Especially in ministry. Why can't we look forward to matrimony but rejoice in our singleness as well?"

My friend thought for a moment before saying in her gentle, Georgian accent,

"You know, I think what a lot of people - including us - loose sight of when we are single is that yes, God created Eve for Adam because he was lonely. God said that it was not good for man to be alone. However, when God created Adam, He put him to sleep FIRST. The Bible doesn't record Adam asking God for a wife, nor does it record Adam ever even VOICING that desire. All it says is that Adam was doing what God wanted him to be doing: naming animals. When God in His sovereignty decided it was time for a wife for Adam, He didn't tell Adam. He just put him to sleep. I think we need to realize that God sees our desires and has a plan for them, but we need to be willing to just sleep. If we focus on dreaming deeply of the Lord, we'll wake up and find that He's created our other half and we didn't even realize it as we were so focused on obeying His will and growing closer to Him."

That thought has stuck with me, as I think it covers a lot of different areas. A lot of times it seems as though we need to make God aware of just how badly we want or need something. "You see, Dear Lord, I need You to provide this and this because it will make my ministry so much more effective for Your glory." But we need to realize that God is either witholding or denying something for a season or for always, not because He doesn't understand how badly we need or want it. No, it's because He has something so much better for us. However C.S. Lewis had a good point when he said,

"We're not necessarily doubting that God will do the best for us; we are wondering how painful the best will turn out to be"

God has an obnoxious habit of informing us that we can go so much farther than we think we can. Or of showing us we can do so much on so much less than we thought we could. And when we think we're ready for something, He either gives it to us to show us how much we're NOT ready for it, OR He withholds it and gives us plenty of opportunities to become truly ready for it. I think oftentimes the Church focuses on the Grace and Love of God. These are true aspects of Him, but they forget that the Lord caused Israel to wander in the Desert for 40 years before entering the Promised Land, and He told Abraham to sacrifice Isaac to proove the love and loyalty that had been professed. He gave the Apostle Paul the 'thorn in the flesh' to keep his reliance on the Lord and humility genuine.

Anyway, all that to say. Keep your eyes on Jesus, and pray that He puts you to sleep so that He can do what He wants in and through you.

Enough rambling. I have to go quiz Feche boy on his Bible Bee verses. Man, these kids can MEMORIZE!!! He is quoting paragraphs of Genisis, Leviticus, Deuteronomy, and Matthew back to me! The public School System is grossly unaware of Children's capabilities. We need to switch back to the Classical Model of Education in America. :-D

~Princess Ouch~