Are you discouraged, depressed, or tired of the status quo surrounding marriage, relationships, and overall boy-girl, young man-young woman interaction? Do you feel as if you can’t find that perfect man who, according to our world’s standard, is supposed to complete and fulfill you as a person? Or are you fed up with all the chatter surrounding dating vs. courtship, the mechanics behind how it all should work, or drawing the lines and boundaries on godly boy-girl relationships? If this describes you, then Engaged to a Heavenly Bridegroom is just the right message for you! Together, we’re going to uncover some of God’s beautiful truths regarding our position as Christ’s Bride and discover the amazing freedom we can have by fully understanding what it means to be Engaged to a Heavenly Bridegroom. So let’s get started!
Letter from the Author
Dear Sisters,
We live in a world surrounded by people looking for fulfillment and identity in so many things—possessions, careers, income bracket, hobbies, etc.—and at the top of the list, especially among women, is relationships. Oh relationships! The one word that has so many different subtle meanings! Among conservative, Christian homeschoolers it has a worldly connotation, while within mainstream culture it’s expected and transitory in nature. The quest for love and meaningful relationships has funded an entire industry, both secular and Christian, in the form of novels, books, films, music, and other media. With this rise in our cultures’ emphasis on pleasure, love, and romance, the godly, Christian sphere has counter-attacked by flooding our bookshelves with arguments against dating and pro courtship, books on purity, what to look for in a young man, how to remain joyful while single, being productive while waiting, and the list goes on. Now I’m not saying that all these things are bad or that the authors were wrong in writing on such topics. On the contrary, many of these resources are quite helpful and greatly needed in the society we live in. However, with so many messages on the how’s, why’s, and what not to do regarding relationships (and some of these messages conflicting!), a girl can get so confused and frustrated trying to find the right path!
One thing I’ve found while perusing many of the Christian literature out there for single young women, is that they seem to focus on drawing the lines on good vs. bad, proper or improper, acceptable or not. And like I said before, these things aren’t bad or wrong in and of themselves, but I’ve noticed that they cause us to become worried and somewhat obsessed with what others think, whether we’re giving the wrong impression, what we should or shouldn’t be thinking about, how we are to know if a certain young man is the one, and the list goes on. In short, the advice telling us what not to do and how not to act in relationships, causes us to become mentally consumed with those very things! Can you relate?
As I’ve walked (and totally loved!) my season of singleness, I’ve struggled with periods of loneliness and longing for someone special to love me in a special way—for at the end of the day, isn’t that what everyone’s looking for?!—but then I realized that I was already loved and cherished far beyond my comprehension by One who knows my every weakness and yet still laid down His life for me. This is an amazing love, and one that nothing can compare to! And because of His great love, the Romancer of my heart wants all of it. He doesn’t want me pining away for someone else; He wants to be my everything. Right now. And the same is true for you!
It’s not enough to just patiently wait for God to send the perfect husband, because He’s already sent the One to romance your heart and make you His Bride! Walking faithfully before God as singles is not about what we do or don’t do, but about where our heart is and what it’s focused on. And this is what Engaged to a Heavenly Bridegroom is all about. It’s one girl’s attempt to encourage and exhort her sisters with the truths she’s discovered while walking with her Lord, getting to know her Bridegroom, and learning from the struggles and journeys of others.
The message of Engaged to a Heavenly Bridegroom gets to the heart of the matter, not merely as single young women, but simply as Christians and followers of Christ. It’s not another lecture on what you should do while you’re single, how you should wait, or even directed solely at singleness, but rather a call to let you know and remind you that you’re already engaged to the only perfect One who has ever lived, who has done more to win your heart than anyone else has or will, and who is away preparing a place for you right now so that you can join Him in eternity.
So I pray that as you ponder and take hold of the truths shared, that all “the things of the earth [dreams of future marriage, romance, or whatever is distracting you from your heavenly Groom] will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory, [love!], and grace.”
Joyfully in Christ,
Kristin
We live in a world surrounded by people looking for fulfillment and identity in so many things—possessions, careers, income bracket, hobbies, etc.—and at the top of the list, especially among women, is relationships. Oh relationships! The one word that has so many different subtle meanings! Among conservative, Christian homeschoolers it has a worldly connotation, while within mainstream culture it’s expected and transitory in nature. The quest for love and meaningful relationships has funded an entire industry, both secular and Christian, in the form of novels, books, films, music, and other media. With this rise in our cultures’ emphasis on pleasure, love, and romance, the godly, Christian sphere has counter-attacked by flooding our bookshelves with arguments against dating and pro courtship, books on purity, what to look for in a young man, how to remain joyful while single, being productive while waiting, and the list goes on. Now I’m not saying that all these things are bad or that the authors were wrong in writing on such topics. On the contrary, many of these resources are quite helpful and greatly needed in the society we live in. However, with so many messages on the how’s, why’s, and what not to do regarding relationships (and some of these messages conflicting!), a girl can get so confused and frustrated trying to find the right path!
One thing I’ve found while perusing many of the Christian literature out there for single young women, is that they seem to focus on drawing the lines on good vs. bad, proper or improper, acceptable or not. And like I said before, these things aren’t bad or wrong in and of themselves, but I’ve noticed that they cause us to become worried and somewhat obsessed with what others think, whether we’re giving the wrong impression, what we should or shouldn’t be thinking about, how we are to know if a certain young man is the one, and the list goes on. In short, the advice telling us what not to do and how not to act in relationships, causes us to become mentally consumed with those very things! Can you relate?
As I’ve walked (and totally loved!) my season of singleness, I’ve struggled with periods of loneliness and longing for someone special to love me in a special way—for at the end of the day, isn’t that what everyone’s looking for?!—but then I realized that I was already loved and cherished far beyond my comprehension by One who knows my every weakness and yet still laid down His life for me. This is an amazing love, and one that nothing can compare to! And because of His great love, the Romancer of my heart wants all of it. He doesn’t want me pining away for someone else; He wants to be my everything. Right now. And the same is true for you!
It’s not enough to just patiently wait for God to send the perfect husband, because He’s already sent the One to romance your heart and make you His Bride! Walking faithfully before God as singles is not about what we do or don’t do, but about where our heart is and what it’s focused on. And this is what Engaged to a Heavenly Bridegroom is all about. It’s one girl’s attempt to encourage and exhort her sisters with the truths she’s discovered while walking with her Lord, getting to know her Bridegroom, and learning from the struggles and journeys of others.
The message of Engaged to a Heavenly Bridegroom gets to the heart of the matter, not merely as single young women, but simply as Christians and followers of Christ. It’s not another lecture on what you should do while you’re single, how you should wait, or even directed solely at singleness, but rather a call to let you know and remind you that you’re already engaged to the only perfect One who has ever lived, who has done more to win your heart than anyone else has or will, and who is away preparing a place for you right now so that you can join Him in eternity.
So I pray that as you ponder and take hold of the truths shared, that all “the things of the earth [dreams of future marriage, romance, or whatever is distracting you from your heavenly Groom] will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory, [love!], and grace.”
Joyfully in Christ,
Kristin
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted.”
~Hebrews 12:1-3
~Hebrews 12:1-3