​Like a bullet, it flew between my zombie eyes and my computer screen. Mind overloaded, an article overdue and the list of things required to accomplish, a mile high. Waking as if in daze, I find a well-folded paper airplane landing before my face, almost tauntingly still, glaring up at me, from my keyboard.

I turn to my left. My husband stands still, quietly, sympathetically. After twenty-three years, how did I miss the longing in His eyes connecting that paper-airplane to his heart?

Like a prize, a secret map to some incredible adventure, I slowly open the culprit for my interruption. Words in color crayon shoot up at me, “Would you like to go on a picnic with me?” signed, “Your husband”.

With my head in the screen, why hadn’t I realized the sun was shining, the day was beautiful; my house was filled with souls that longed for me? How had I completely overlooked that I had a husband and children? Why had I missed, a world existed…outside my head?

 “Have-to’s” and duties immediately disintegrated. That hour, my husband and I shared a surprise picnic lunch, on a blanket, by the lake. It was that day I realized….Sometimes you have to drop everything and just be with the one you love.

And I wonder if often we can forget, we have a God who is like our husband, a God who sits and waits quietly, patiently near us, desiring for us to stop what we are doing just to be with Him?

He doesn’t yell or manipulate, demand or force us to make Him a priority. Still, doesn’t He give us clues and His Word, like a love note to lure us into His presence? Doesn’t He long for relationship to be placed above obligation, time with Him to trump everything else?

If I was honest, much of the time, I can be like what James 4:8 talks about, double minded. My mind can feel divided between multiple allegiances. Yet, that same verse promises, “If we draw near to God, He will draw near to us.”

And as Missional Women, shouldn’t our greatest accomplishments stem not from agendas or ideas, great works or our brilliant plans or purposes, but from the overflow of our own personal, love encounter with Him?

True fruit of eternal proportions is always a result of spending time, first, in His presence.

Though born, raised, and still living only miles from where she grew up, Jen's heart lies in the nations. Jen loves the beautiful tapestry found in the wide diversity of people, different cultures, and all nations.  Jen and her husband have been married twenty years, and have parented fifteen kids and counting; twelve foster, one adopted, and two bios.  Her multi-racial family reflects her passion for unity, desire for faith without walls, and missional mindset to share both the gospel and the power of redemption to a world desperately needing the hope found in Jesus Christ. Jen and her husband have led in a variety of ministries; including prayer, small groups, children's, and women’s.  Jen advocates for the orphan as a board member for the non-profit, A New Song; and loves doing missions work internationally, along with her family.  You can find Jen writing about faith, while challenging her readers at her blog, Rich Faith Rising, as well as at tweeting faith-filled messages @Jen_Avellaneda .  Jen is also on facebook.  ​
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For the longest time, I thought having a crush was stupid and ungodly. And in some aspects it is. Mainly my reaction and response to someone I liked was usually pure girly silliness, and sometimes even ungodly in my thought life. God changed me a lot during my early 20s (praise the LORD), and over time He convicted me of my bad behavior and showed me the positives to liking someone all together. So here are the 2 pitfalls and 2 positives to having a crush.

2 Pitfalls to Avoid:
1. Lust
 Lust is not only a man’s problem! Drooling over a half-naked man is the same as a guy drooling over of a gal in a bikini. Imagining what it would be like to kiss and the like is really not an appropriate place for your mind to go. This was a huge problem for me growing up and through to college! But sense no one said it was wrong for women directly, and it wasn’t pornography, then I didn’t think it was a big deal. But once God brought it to light, how if Jesus was a woman He wouldn’t have had my thought life, I began to change how I thought about these guys I fantasied in my mind.

2. Consumption of Thoughts
Just like any idol, if this guy takes over your thoughts – all you can think about is your last interaction with them, you try to interpret signs and signals they may or may not be sending you, you daydream about being their girlfriend or wife, you try to imagine what your kids will look like  - God is obviously not first like He should be! Being obsessed about anything, including an individual, is taking God’s place as overall Lord of your life. Not to mention that its not going to help your situation at all by letting these things dominate your thought life, am I right? Stewing over “what if” scenarios will only make you worry, and Jesus made it clear how we shouldn’t worry (Matthew 6:25-34).

But it’s not all bad either!!

2 Positives:
1. Glory to God!
I realized something key right before God showed me how awesome Malcolm was before we started dating. It wasn’t a bad thing to be attracted to all sorts of guys! What was wrong was how I chose to react to those attractions. So instead of fantasizing about the guy, I would instead write out in my “ugly” journal the qualities and characteristics that God has placed in them. I had been able to do that with girls easily, but with guys I always felt awkward. Like I wasn’t allowed to notice great things about them without taking it a wrong way. But God showed me I was noticing HIS character and HIS handiwork by pointing it out! I didn’t have to obsess about it, but I could point out why I liked them in the first place. It would also lead me to pray for them, their walk with God, their future wife, etc. And I also noticed the quicker I was to take this person to the Lord, the quicker it would be for me to get over them! Well, until God opened my eyes to Malcolm…

2. Clarity in Desires
The more that I started seeing God’s qualities in the quality guys I liked, and more how the ones not following God were attractive in ways that appealed to my flesh, I realized more what I actually wanted and needed out of a husband. How he looked, if he could sing, etc. were not important. I had this huge list of things I wanted in a spouse, but really all I truly wanted was a man that loved God, wanted to live out the Great Commission, was bold and pointed me to Jesus. And soon after I realized that Malcolm, my now husband, actually had those qualities, and I would not have noticed him before because my mind was so wrapped up in this weird person that wasn’t who God wanted for me.


Essentially, what this all boils down to, is having feelings towards others isn’t bad but they need to be filtered through Christ. Take how you feel and think to Jesus, and allow the Holy Spirit to guide and lead you from there! 

Leah works with Master Plan Ministries at Fort Lewis College in Durango, CO. Other than watching college students' lives change, she enjoys getting her mind blown by God and His Word, watching sci fi, baking cupcakes, and spending time with her hunky husband. 





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I can’t remember exactly where I was, or who I heard it from, but the words stuck to my heartbroken single-woman-soul like a nasty piece of gum on the sole of my Asics.

Wait on God’s timing. He has a man out there for you. But God waits to give you what you want because He has work to do in your heart. It is not until you are completely content with being single that He will grant you someone to be with.

There are nuggets of truth in there, and I’m sure whoever it was meant well, but this teaching is a dangerous one. The thought that God only grants a husband to those who are completely satisfied in Him, led me to believe that those who are married have figured out the secret to contentment in Christ. And single ladies? Well, God still has work to do on us; we are not yet marriage material.

If I am still single, God must have more to work on in me. I must not have surrendered enough of my life for God to grant me marriage.

This translates to so many other places in life.

If I am not rich, then God must not think I can handle all that money. If I can’t have kids, God must think I am not ready for kids, or that I will never be a good mother. If I lost my job, my health, or a loved-one God must be punishing me for something I did.

Lies. All lies.

For far too long, I spent my single days looking for the man who would enter the room and change my life forever. I woke up each day thinking it might just be the day my prince would come. I wasted precious energy hoping in husband instead of God’s best plan for me. When my hopes were dashed I looked inward; I tried to clean myself up, and attempted to please God with my actions and “sacrifice.”

God’s economy is not 1+2=3. He is not Santa Clause or a vending machine. He is an all-knowing, merciful, and faithful God who knows my every heartache and longing. He knows the difference between what I want and what I need. And most importantly, He knows how my life can give Him the most glory.

So, if you find yourself single (or poor, or barren, or fill-in-the-blank with whatever your heart yearns for most) and wondering, “Why, God?” you are asking the wrong question. Instead of wondering what we did wrong, or what we need to do more of to get God to give us what we want, we must learn to find our hope in God alone and ask, “How can I experience more of you, God?”

Only God’s presence will soothe the ache of lonely single nights, a barren womb, and loss of life. Only through being in the center of God’s plan for our lives do we experience the joy and satisfaction we are desperate for. Our hope must be in God alone. His plan. His glory. His loving, faithful character. Regardless of what is to come (or not.)

Where is your hope today? What does your heart yearn for more than anything? Are you believing the lie that you need to try harder, in order to earn the reward of a husband, a child, or a different position in life? Let’s chat in the comments.

Grace-clinger. Truth-speaker. Pastor's wife. Mommy of 3. As a Bible study writer, retreat speaker, and local women's ministry leader, Katie is passionate about equipping others to walk intimately with God for a lifetime. Katie currently serves as the Social Media Specialist and Community Manager for Flourish.me, a ministry of the North American Mission Board to ministry wives. Learn more about Katie on her website KatieOrr.me

When I graduated from college, I took a job at my alma mater teaching language arts at the Christian high school. My days were consumed with lesson plans, stacks of papers to be graded, and lots of adolescent drama. I loved working with the teens, but my real desire was to be a stay at home mom.  I envisioned reading bed time stories and tucking in little ones with a kiss and a prayer. The problem was that I was not married.  In fact, I was not even dating. I was a single gal with lots of free time on my hands.  
 
Early on, I had to make a decision to be fully present in the season that God had laid out for me. Sure, I still prayed about getting married, but I determined to not let that dream cloud my focus on the calling to be a spiritual mom to the young people God had placed in my circle of influence.  Like Paul, I wanted them to follow me as I followed Christ.  So, I attended basketball games and sweet 16 birthdays. I spent weekends picking up kids and carting them to church. For close to two decades, I listened to stories of teenage angst and tried to point them to Jesus.  I prayed for “my kids” to fall in love with Jesus.    
 
In my early 40’s, God decided to shake things up a bit.  I met a nice fella who loved Jesus, and
we got married. It didn’t take long to realize that serving in the teenage trenches had really helped prepare me to be a better wife to Bruce.  I was a better me because I’d loved those kids and let Jesus do a work in me through them. 

4 Seeds Sown through Serving:
Serving as a single enlarged my heart and increased my capacity to love more fully.  
“But we were gentle among you, like a nursing mother taking care of her own children. So, being affectionately desirous of you, we were ready to share with you not only the Gospel of God but also our own selves, because you had become very dear to us.  For you remember, brothers, our labor and toil: we worked night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you, while we proclaimed to you the Gospel of God.” 1 Thessalonians 2:8-10, ESV
     
Serving as a single fostered greater perseverance and patience in me.
"Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us” Romans 5:3-5
     
Serving as a single taught me that I needed to let go of my agenda and yield expectations to Him.  
“Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content.  I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.” Philippians 4:11-13

Serving as a single helped me to become less prideful and more pliable.  
“Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus” Philippians 2:3-5

 As a single, I hope you will consider that the season that you are in right now is God’s preparation ground for you. As you give your heart fully to serving now, He is sowing seeds in your heart that will blossom into greater fruitfulness for the next season.  

God is not unjust; He will not forget your work and the love you have shown Him as you have helped His people and continue to help them.

 We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, so that what you hope for may be fully realized. We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised. Hebrews 6:10-12, NIV

Lyli Dunbar loves teaching.  For 17 years, she mentored teenagers in the Christian school setting, and now she has serves as Associate Director of Curriculum at Trinity International University Florida. Lyli married her Prince Charming in her 40’s and has a heart for encouraging young couples and singles in God’s waiting room.  She enjoys road trips with her husband, connecting with women through Bible study, and reading way too many books. Lyli writes about life lessons and faith on herpersonal blog. You may also connect with her on Facebook,Twitter, and Pinterest.

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So maybe you read my last post (how to be friends with guys with out being weird), and you’re thinking “well that’s great, but what if I want to be more than friends?”

That’s great! Desiring a marriage with a godly man is a good desire, so long as it is continually submitted to Christ. Everything I wrote in that first post STILL APPLIES HERE! Make sure you go and read that post and start there! The best marriages begin as godly friendships.

Here are 10 tips on flirting with out being weird:

1. Walk with Jesus.
The first and most important thing about pursuing a godly relationship is to remember the most important relationship in your life. Trust that if you pursue God first that he will take care of the rest of your life. Spend time in His Word, pray diligently for the world around you, let God’s love consume you more than your desire to marry.

Whether you date someone or not, your walk with God will endure for eternity. You can not spend too much time focusing on your relationship with Jesus.

Godly men want to pursue godly women. If you desire to attract a man who passionately follows Jesus, then be a woman who passionately follows Jesus. The best way to see who might be a good match for you is to run hard and fast for God’s kingdom and see who is matching you stride for stride.

“Seek first His kingdom and his righteousness, and these things will be given to you as well” – Matthew 6:33

2. Talk to him
Okay friends, I know it can be scary to approach someone you like but how the heck are they even going to know that you’re interested or available if you never even say hi to them? Be normal, just say “Hi! How’s it going?” He isn’t going to assume you want to stop and have babies right then and there.

If you like a guy you HAVE to talk to them. Well I guess you don’t have to, but it’s probably not going to get anywhere if you don’t.

3. Make eye contact and smile.
Again, this is not weird. If you make eye contact and smile at a guy it doesn’t automatically mean you are going to get married. He won’t think you’re being weird. In fact, he will probably think you’re weird if you constantly avoid ever making eye contact with him. If you catch him glancing at you or he catches you glancing at him don’t immediately look away in embarrassment! Just smile for a quick second before looking away. It shows that you are fun and interested.

4. Ask him questions about his life
If you want to date someone you probably are going to want to know what they are interested in! So ask them! “What music are you listening to lately?” “What do you like to do?” “What are your favorite TV shows?”

And then genuinely be interested in their responses. Ask follow-up questions. Share something that you like. Just have a normal conversation like you would with a girl that you are just getting to know also.

5. Compliment and encourage him
Okay. So this is where things could maybe get weird, but only if you make it weird! Here are some do’s and don’ts for complimenting:

DO compliment their walk with God- “It’s cool how you trust God with ____”
DO compliment their character-  “You are so wise!”
DO compliment something they do- “You’re a great guitarist!” “That talk you gave to your small group was awesome”
DO compliment them in ministry- “You do a great job relating to the younger guys!”
DO encourage them when they do something bold- “Sharing your testimony was brave and I appreciate it!” 
DO compliment them behind their backs- Speak well of his character even if he isn’t listening

DON’T compliment their body or looks-  That’s weird.


6. Don’t be afraid to show your excitement
Let’s say you are both super into baseball and he suggests that a group of you get together to watch the World Series. It’s okay to be excited and say something like “Yes! That sound so fun! Let’s do it!” He will be encouraged in planning things and you’ll show him that you are interested.

But if you hate baseball, don’t be fake about it! Don’t change who you are to impress a guy. That’s just dumb. You can say something like “I’m not that into baseball but it would still be fun to hang out with everyone”

7. Be real with your interests but also try new things
This follows up the last point, it is never worth it to change who you are for a guy. But let’s say that you’re talking and he suggests a new TV show for you to watch- you should try it! Or if he wants to get some friends together to go rock climbing and you’ve never been, just say so and be willing to learn.

8. Don’t manipulate the situation
It’s so easy to try and weasel your way into a guys life. Whether that means you try to be the pursuer or you just try and twist things so they work in your favor. In the past, I’ve been know to bribe the person who put together small groups at a retreat so I would end up in the same one as the guy I liked or try and make sure I was standing next to him all the time. Quit doing stuff like that.

It robs us of the chance to be pursued in the way that God designed. It might make you look desperate and manipulative. Ultimately it is just not a godly action. Ask God to help you trust Him with your relationship.

9. Trust God and trust godly men.
If you like a godly man who follows Jesus, is in God’s Word and displays the fruit of the Spirit, it’s likely that he knows and hears God’s voice. That means that if God leads him to pursue a relationship, he will probably act on it. So wait and trust. Trust that God is actively working in his life and trust that He is living a life yielded to God.

If the guy you like isn’t actively pursuing God, isn’t displaying godly actions, and doesn’t spend time in God’s Word then why the heck would you want to date them? They are only going to hurt you and your walk with God.

10. Be okay with rejection
This is the hardest and scariest part of liking someone- the fear they won’t like you back. But truthfully, it is also one of the most beautiful parts. If we flirt to date and we date to marry and marriage is a picture of the gospel, then doesn’t it make sense that every part of flirting and dating can show off God’s character in some way? Even rejection.

Jesus went to the cross knowing that not everyone would accept him. He knew that people would reject His great love for them. But still, in spite of the chance of rejection, Jesus put his whole heart on the line and trusted God with the results.

If and when you are rejected, remember this: You do not have a God who is unable to sympathize with you. He knows that it hurts. He knows it isn’t easy to be vulnerable and get rejected. In your rejection you get to experience a specific fellowship with Christ, and that is a blessing.

Angi loves Jesus, coffee, baseball and baking cakes. She is a missionary to college students and can't think of anything she'd rather do to serve God. Angi first met the Lord while climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, Africa but really understood His love and grace as a freshman in college. Her heart is to invest in college students in the same way that many others invested in her. You can find her blogging over at Stuff Angi Does where she tells stories about Jesus, college students, and life. You can also find her on facebook, twitter, pintrest and instagram.

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As single Christian women we can tend to swing to one extreme or the other when interacting with the opposite sex. Either we idolize them, see every man as a potential husband before we see them as a brother in Christ, and fantasize about them or we completely avoid them.

Neither of these extremes are the biblical best for us. Through out scripture we see examples of relationships of men and women working together for the mission of God. Paul fills a whole chapter at the end of Romans with his greetings and encouragement to his friends and co-laborers who are both men and women. 2 John is addressed to “The elder, To the chosen lady and her children, whom I love in the truth” Jesus’ very own circle of friends included women who supported him financially, first discovered his empty tomb, and lavished him with love and gifts.

Jesus, Paul and John all give us examples of how to work together as brothers and sisters in Christ to accomplish the mission God has given us.

By working together, as friends, with the opposite sex, we can accomplish far more than if we only ever work by ourselves. I am by no means an expert, but here are some things I’ve found to be helpful in having friendships with guys with out the relationship being weird.

1. Love them and see them as your brothers in Christ.
First and foremost we are called to love our brothers. Love, defined as unselfishly doing what is in another’s best interest, is always selfless. Think of your guy friends’ hearts and souls selflessly.

I can be pretty boy crazy. It takes an intentional action of submitting my mind to Christ to not think of every guy I meet as my potential future husband and to think of them purely as brothers and friends. It helps me to ask myself “Would I treat my actual brother this way?” and “What is best for ______’s soul?”

2. Consider their (future) wives
I have a group of guy friends who I love and respect a ton. And you know what? I’m likely not going to marry all of them. That sounds so silly, but it is true. You will probably not marry every guy you have a friendship with. So be intentional about thinking of their future wife, your sister in Christ. Would she appreciate it if you were constantly flirting with him? If you were fantasizing about your future together? If he consumed your thoughts?

And if your guy friends are married? Be super cautious with your relationship!! Never spend time one-on-one with them, send them private messages, or do anything that could cause their wife or someone else to suspect an inappropriate relationship. Go out of your way to show their wives how much you respect their marriage. I have a few married couples who I’m pretty close to both the wives and husbands. If ever I need or want to communicate something to the husband, I usually just communicate to both of them at the same time via group texts or group facebook messages. I try to stay as far away as I can from anything that could possibly be misconstrued. My rule of thumb is that if I’m questioning if it is appropriate, it probably isn’t.

3. Respect “Guy Time”
There is an inside joke amongst my group of friends that I have a tendency of crashing Guys Night. It was never intentional, but I often end up in social situations where I am the only girl. In fact my roommate even made a meme of it because it kept happening. Ha!

I think the reason is because I tend to enjoy things that are more “guy” oriented- football, sci-fi, action movies, etc. When our small group has Men and Women community nights, I always think what the guys are doing sounds like more fun.

But, (and this is a big but), I know that guys need time with other guys to develop deep friendships and encourage each other. Men need time to be friends with other men.

Don’t make their male-bonding time all about you and how much you wish you could be there because the world and your friendships with those guys DO NOT revolve around you.

4. Do fun things and invite all your friends- both guys and girls
The best way to be friends with guys with out making things weird is to do fun things together. Women develop relationships by talking, things like coffee dates appeal to our nature. Men develop relationships through activities, things like going go-karting or long boarding.

Our group of friends likes to go bowling, watch epic movies (right now we are watching one of Lord of the Rings each week), have game nights, go camping, and watch sports. Find something of common interest and make it happen! It’s not weird to plan an event and invite guys, I promise. Whatever it is that you do, make it fun and invite a bunch of people, both guys and girls!

5. Do eternally significant things together.
Each week, I have a time set aside to go out on campus and share the gospel. I invite everyone to come, but the last few weeks it has just been me and a few guys. (see? again with the accidental boys club!) But even still, it has been so effective when I am partnered up with a guy to go out and share our faith. When I’m by myself or with a girl, I tend to avoid approaching men because I worry they might think I’m hitting on them. And if I want to follow up with someone, asking for a guy’s phone number is kinda awkward.

But when you go out together, it opens up so many more opportunities! Just this week, my friend Nick and I were on campus and there was this awesome street preacher. We got a chance to have a great conversation with this guy and girl who were super interested in Jesus. It was awesome because I was able to get the girl’s phone number and follow up with her while Nick engaged the guy and got his number. If it had just been me, I probably wouldn’t have had the chance to talk to the guy or share the gospel with him. It was way better to be working together!

How are you at having godly friendships with guys? What would you add to this list? 

Angi loves Jesus, coffee, baseball and baking cakes. She is a missionary to college students and can't think of anything she'd rather do to serve God. Angi first met the Lord while climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, Africa but really understood His love and grace as a freshman in college. Her heart is to invest in college students in the same way that many others invested in her. You can find her blogging over at Stuff Angi Does where she tells stories about Jesus, college students, and life. You can also find her on facebook, twitter, pintrest and instagram.

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While I was a single woman, I knew that guys eyes needed to be protected. But I had no clue the battle they truly had, and how the things I had done both helped and hindered their walks, until I got married in 2011.

God has created men with a drive for intimacy that is so good in marriage, and hindering outside of marriage. Most (if not all) Christian men truly want their hearts, minds and eyes to be on Christ, and their sexual desires satisfied by their wives only. But in the day and age we live in, it’s truly difficult to do that – but not impossible. After I got married, I felt like I received radar for picking up sexually suggestive (or blatant) women! It’s like my eyes were open to how men see women – and I probably didn’t and don’t fully get it since I’m not a man!!

In an article posted in Januray 2013 by CitizenLink – affliated with Focus on the Family – 93.2% of men first view pornography (whether willing or not) before the age of 18 (study done 2006). And a 2008 study of college aged men found that “86% of emerging adult men reported having used pornography at some level in the past year, with approximately one fifth of men in that age range reporting daily or every-other-day use and nearly half (48.4%) reporting pornography use weekly or more.” (To read more on this subject, please visit here)

I want the best for my husband, and all men for that matter, to have the least amount of struggle possible. They already get bombarded with images from TV, movies, the internet, and even walking down the street – and we as Godly women can help them have a refuge from the war they are raging against their flesh.

 Let me note now, this is a two-way street. Men need to do their part for having integrity and keeping their minds guarded and their eyes from wandering. But that shouldn’t be our excuse to not do anything.

If you are single and struggle with compromising your sexual purity I want to tell you that you don’t have to compromise your purity anymore. Satan wants you to make excuses that you have already lost your purity so what’s the big deal. The deal is that even if you have lost your purity in your past you can re-new your purity in Christ from here on out. From this moment on you can vow to God that you will remain pure, that you will wait for your wedding night, and that you will turn right now and be made new and pursue a holy life that honors your Daddy in heaven. 

Your past will always be there, and it will be very hard telling your future spouse, but you don’t have to add more impurity to your life, and there is healing that can happen. If this is a decision you desire here are a few short steps to help you as you begin this process. 

Here are five ways you can re-commit your purity.

“Oh where do you live?”
“South Denver, I live with a bunch of college students”
“Really? In a house?”
“Nope. There are 5 of us in a tiny two bedroom apartment”

*confused looks*

“No really! I love it. It’s kind of the best thing ever.”

*more confused looks*

This conversation happens for me probably at least once a week. Either at church as we are shaking hands and introducing ourselves or out with friends or when catching up with someone I haven’t seen in a while. 

I was sitting on my couch at 10 am on a Friday morning, contemplating whether or not to go for a run before settling into my work for the day and it hit me- I had so much freedom. 

Part of that freedom comes from my job (aka the best job ever) in college ministry, allowing for flexible and non-traditional hours. But another huge part of it comes from the fact that I am single. 

I’ve started getting into God’s word with some sweet ladies over at #hellomornings and they are so amazing! Mamas getting up before their kids to spend time with God. Sacrificing their own sleep gladly to honor the Lord.