As I sat in my little deer stand with my dad for my second hunting trip attempt ever, something sort of dawned on me while deep in thought in the silence of the woods. It was about an hour and a half in that the need to use the bathroom, the exhaustion of the day, and the urge to pretty much be anywhere but where I was started to wear in on me, so I tried my hardest to think back to the excitement I initially had upon deciding to go hunting with my dad.

In thinking of all the reasons why this trip was a good idea, I also let my mind wander to thoughts like, "Wow, this can teach a person a lot about patience and learning to soak in those silent moments to reflect on life and the world." Here is where my epiphany took root. As my cold hands sat on the barrel of the gun just waiting while I watched, I realized hunting is a lot like waiting for "the one."

I'm sure you're shocked that, coming from a single nineteen-year old, this story might turn into one about boys, but bear with me. Sitting and watching, while dreaming about that impressively big buck I was going to shoot, became the perfect picture of how it feels to wait for a husband... and here's why.

There's a decent amount of preparation that goes into hunting. First you gear up in your camo and your orange, you put out just the right scents and mask your own, you know your target, know your weapon, and the rest is all in the waiting... And Waiting... And Waiting... You sit and listen, always ready for that one deer that's going to come running out at any second, and think about how you're going to successfully for the first time pick up your gun, aim, and shoot--all without scaring him away.

But you don't think of just any old deer, you start to get excited that you'll be the one to bring home the big buck, the envy of all hunters around. The one that you'd take a picture with and proudly show your friends. However, the longer you wait with nothing in sight, the less and less chance the dream seems to have of becoming reality. You wonder if it could really even happen the way you imagine, if you'll just miss the target completely, if the buck will not be what you thought, or if you should just give up and go home.

Much like when hunting, dating (or waiting to date with the pursuit of marriage) can sometimes feel this discouraging. You can sometimes feel that you know everything there is to know about marriage and dating, do everything in your power to be ready for it, know exactly what you're looking for in a man, and exactly what you want to be for that man, and still feel defeat.

You might sit and dream of that perfect man and how you're going to jump on the opportunity when he comes around because he will be the one who checks every mark on your list and the one you can't wait to tell your friends and family about. Then you may also from time to time in the waiting feel like that man is oh so out of reach. Like your imaginings will be imaginings forever, and you should just give up.

Fortunately my friend, we know this is not true. Fortunately, we know that there is a God who is watching us in the waiting, and who is giving us this time to stop and enjoy the many moments that will prepare us for that BIG moment. We hold onto hope because we know that one day, that buck is bound to come around, and when he does, we want to be ready.

We keep going hunting, because we know that we'll never catch the big one if we're sitting in our living room. And we keep living our lives, discovering ourselves, and seeking our God, because we know that we will never find that special someone unless we keep on going and keep on growing.

So here's to holding onto hope. Here's to walking with heads held high and hearts filled with love for everyone around us. Here's to forever trusting in our Creator to handle the things we cannot control. Here's to more hunting, because I know I will be as I learn to enjoy the wait. And in case you're wondering, I'll let you know when I catch the big one.