~Desires

I came upon this verse and it reminded me so much that our hearts as single girls should be set on God not seeking after relationships with guys. It just seemed to fit my post so well!

Lord I've a desire, it's mainly this,

To have a husband, to love, to kiss.

To serve you together in faithfulness,

To raise a family that you can bless.

Yet Lord I realize you want my whole,

My emotions, my mind, my will, my soul.

And Lord my desire can not take your place.

I must completely seek your face.

So in a box, my desires will go,

And open only, when you say so.

On the day you provide the leader for me,

And we'll promise to serve you faithfully.

But, for now a different desire I'll chase.

One that's nobler, of a higher place.

To love and to seek your will and not mine,

And then I'll know, my desires are thine! 

  As girls we all know what it's like to have desires. To find that perfect man, (for us!) get married, and raise a family. These are all good desires, but they have to be given to God so He can save them for His perfect time.
  You may be wondering...

Why can't I think about them now?

Well because right now they are only distractions. Are you ready to be married now? Probably not. So if you seek after them now you will be getting ahead of God's timing.

What should my desires be right now?

We girls need to be focusing our lives on having an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ, serving our families, and learning to be housekeepers. It all boils down to learning to be a godly woman. This time of our life is for preparing.
Also the relationship and respect you have right now with your father will either be a hindrance or a help, depending on how close it is. If you do not respect your father (the authority in your life) how will you respect the man you marry? He will then be your authority. If there are things you hide or don't tell your father, you will also  not be able to be completely honest with your husband. Our relationships with our fathers are to prepare us for the relationships with our future husbands. There are many things to be working on now! Before you're married.

How will I know if it's the right time?

Definitely lots of prayer and seeking God's will. I know this doesn't work for everyone because of having unbelieving parents, but your mom and dad, especially your dad should be the ones to help direct you in this. Always work with your parents even if they aren't Christians. There are many blessings in the Bible for honoring and obeying your parents. As long as it doesn't make you go against God or His word. As young women our hearts and emotions are vulnerable. If you have a Christian father I hope he is doing his best to protect your heart and that you are allowing him to. Back to the question though. You will have to be trusting God and asking him to show you His time, with your parents and also by yourself. It is doubtful God will bring the right man along until you have given up your desires and are serving Him right where you are.

How do I give them to God?

To start off, it has to be from your heart. If you just tell God you want Him to have your desires, and don't mean it, well you get the point.
So just give them to Him. Tell Him that you are now committed to wait on His timing. The thing is, in giving up that, it will leave an empty spot. You know, all the times you spent dreaming, thinking, and planning has to be replaced by something, but what? That is going to be up to you, God and your parents. (I don't care if you are 18 or older God gave you parents for a reason) Ask God what He wants you to be doing right now, and ask your parents what they think you could be working on.

What if I don't give them to God?

If you don't you are telling God that you don't want His best and that you plan to do it your own way. I would feel deeply sorry for you. It might not come right away but there will be consequences. There always is with sin. And yes not giving your desires to God is sin. You're holding out for your own and God will not take second place to anything.

What am I supposed to get from this?

God has a plan for you. Greater than you could ever imagine. But you will only see it if you wait on His timing and do it in His way. 

Oh and if any of you are wondering what brought this on... well you may have guessed it by now but my family and I are going through Sarah Mally's book "Before you meet Prince Charming."  ;)