Uncharted Territory

I’m going a place that very few girls very rarely ever reach. Heed this warning for all.

I’M CONTENT WITH BEING SINGLE

Ok, I proclaimed it, like ripping a Band-Aid. And now the story behind it.

Reaching this happiness did not come easy. I’ve wanted a boyfriend for as long as I can remember. Not just any old guy, but the right guy. I’ve kept this a secret for so long because I’ve never wanted to be “that girl”. The girl that so desperately needed a man and that was all she sought. I now know that I’m not that girl. That wanting someone to spend my life with is normal, not crazy!

When I was 10, I envisioned just what high school would be like for me. I would be captain of the cheerleading team, class president, drive an awesome car, be on my way to being a pop-star and last but DEFINITELY not least, I was going to be dating a football player.

Can I just say that not a single one of those are true (except the car part, I LOVE my Sunshine Mobile). It is funny to see what I wanted before I knew Jesus and after. I mean all those things could have been the greatest things in the world, but that isn’t what God destined for me to have. Instead, I was a band geek, class senator, I’m getting ready to devote my life to ministry, and I’ve never had a boyfriend. 18 years of embracing and grumbling about my single status. But, I love life right now. My desire for “Mr. Right” ebbs and flows. The most recent time I wanted one was for prom, but I wanted him for one night. God has plans that are so different from what we would plan for ourselves.

He wanted me to pick a college with no strings attached. I’m so excited to go to southern California just as me, to be able to spend the next chunk of time just with God and feeling a strong direction for my future. I couldn’t imagine trying to adjust to college AND juggling a long distance relationship. God knows exactly what I need, and don’t need, and He is gracious enough to follow that. Not only that, but I would have had an even tougher time picking Hope International University if there was a boy involved too.

Of course, I didn’t just wake up all “Hey! Being single is the greatest thing since Oreos!” It took a lot for me to get here. And I’m sure you all are just begging for me to reveal my vast knowledge of being single, so I will.

 I had to first make God my number one priority, knowing that His voice was the only one I should be listening too when it came to dating. It wasn’t easy. Every chick-flick, TV show, and song I listened to was telling me to date, but I had to silence those.

After I stopped listening to those distractions, I focused on the things God has given me: school, family, friends, and preparing for my future. I was no longer wasting my energy on something I didn’t have and made my priorities better. For example, I spent my Valentine’s Day 2012 cramming for an AP Gov test because I got to spend a night two days before seeing Scotty McCreery and The Band Perry in concert with my sister Kara. (Scotty McCreery= enough of a Valentine’s Day gift for me!) I was so grateful for what I had that I was no longer thought about what I didn’t have. My life wasn’t about me and what I wanted, it was about what God wanted for me.

So yeah, ultimately, I LOVE being single. I don’t want to be single forever and I don’t think that’s what God has planned for me. I do know His plan for me in this very second involves me being single, and His plan is better than anything I, or Nicholas Sparks, could ever dream. (Oh, and if you’re reading this and want to talk about it, let me know! We could get some fro-yo/coffee/pancakes and swap some stories!)