Your worth does not come from men

For so long I only felt that I was worthy when I was loved or even liked by a man. When I felt like no guy had interest in me I thought it was because I wasn't good enough, or I wasn't worthy enough to be loved. How sad is that? That I felt that I wasn't worthy to be loved by a man, and that the only time I was of worth was when I was in a relationship with someone. I was so wrong. I am worthy of being loved. I had to remind myself that I am so worth being loved that God sent His only Son to die for me; for me. I was the one Jesus was thinking of when He was beaten and nailed to a cross--me. I am so undeserving of that love He showed me and continues to show me, but His precious blood is what makes me worth everything. To the Lord of all creation I am worth everything, so who am I to say I am worth nothing? Some guy that I like didn't die for me, it's not their blood that covers me, it's not by their wounds that I'm healed, it wasn't by their last breath that I was given eternity in the Kingdom of God. So what should I care? So what if they never like me? So what if I'm single and never get married? That doesn't mean that I can't be loved or that I'm not worthy of love. Jesus Christ showed me that I am so worth it that I was worth dying for, and nothing can take that from me.

Happiness is a choice

I can honestly say that for a long time I let my happiness depend on relationships. I always felt like I wasn't completely satisfied unless I was in a relationship or was talking to someone with the hopes of dating them one day (forever stuck in the "talking" stage). I always felt like something was missing; like my life wasn't complete without someone by my side. But much like love, happiness is also a choice. I let my happiness depend so much on the relationships that I was in, that when they came crumbling down, my whole world felt as if it were, too. When relationships ended I felt as if I had nothing left, and would find myself in a state of depression. Again, how sad is that? That I let someone have so much control over my life, that when they left, I felt like my life was over. I should be able to be happy on my own. I have so, so much to be thankful for. I quickly learned that happiness is a choice, and I don't have to have someone special in my life to make me happy. Everyday I can wake up and be depressed that I don't have someone in my life, or I can choose to go out in the world and shine a light. I placed my happiness in God's hands, because He is the same yesterday, today and forever. He will never leave, never break a promise, and always be on my side. Your happiness can't depend on something as unreliable and unpredictable as man; no matter how long you've been with them or trust them, as soon as they leave, they will take your happiness, too. They will take some, but don't let them take it all.

You have your own path

Sometimes I look around and I see all my friends are in serious relationships, engaged, getting married, or already married, and then there's me. For so long I felt out of place. That something must be wrong with me, and that all my friends have something that I don't have. I felt behind because I'm 22 years old and a senior in college and I'm still single, and like, as single as it gets, people. I'm talking I already have 10 cats, single. But honestly, why is that looked at as such a bad thing? Why do I have to feel so pressured to find someone by a certain age? Just because I'm single doesn't mean that I'm a failure and that I can't go out and have an amazing life and do amazing things. I'm perfectly capable of that; we all are. There's nothing wrong with me, and I'm not a failure. The truth of the matter is, is that I simply am on a different path. It may seem sometimes that I am alone, but I'm not, and neither are you. There are plenty of us out there that are still "single as a Pringle" as some would say, and that's okay. I realized that God has a plan for me, and maybe right now in that perfect plan He has for me, it's not meant for me to have someone special, and maybe I never will. But honestly, God's love is so satisfying and fulfilling that it should be enough, and it is.

Always, always be grateful

Going back to my friends, and just others in general, sometimes I would look around and be jealous of what they had. They had something that I didn't. They had something that I desired so much. Sometimes I would feel bitterness towards others that were in a relationship, and sometimes I even questioned God. I would ask "Why God? Why can't I have that? Is it so wrong to want to love and be loved?" But something I couldn't see before was that I already am. I am so loved. Just because I don't have one thing that I so greatly want, doesn't mean I'm not blessed. Since I decided to focus more on my blessings than what I thought I didn't have; I have been a much happier person. There is always something to be grateful for. Yes my friends may have a boyfriend or girlfriend, but I may have something that they don't have. One of my best friends told me once that just because someone has something you want doesn't make their life perfect. Everyone is asking God for something; we all have something that we want and feel like we have to fight to get; you're just simply asking for something different, and she was so right. Someone out there may desire a family like I have as much as I desired a relationship. I am so blessed, and I have so much to be thankful for.

True love waits

Patience. Oh, if I could express how important I have learned patience is, and especially in waiting to find "the one". So many times I have gotten impatient with God and have dated people I knew from the start were not right for me. I didn't want to wait anymore on my hand-picked by God man, I wanted to take my life into my own hands, and in the end just caused myself even more pain and heartache. I dated people who were not right for me, and I continuously let people back in my life that had hurt me before simply because I was being impatient with God's perfect timing. I have since learned that it's more painful to be impatient than it is to be patient. I will admit I get lonely at times, but I would rather be that than heartbroken or in a relationship that was wrong for me and taking me off my path. True love waits can mean many different things, but one thing it means to me is to be patient in waiting for the right one to come into my life. True love is worth waiting for, so don't ever settle just because you're lonely and impatient--wait. Don't let people who have hurt you back into your life just because you're frustrated and unwilling to wait. A quote stuck with me once and it said "sometimes God's blessings are not only in what He gives, but what He takes away. Stop trying to pick up what God has told you to put down." Because in the end, it will only cause you more pain to hold on to something or someone that isn't right for you. Be patient, it will be so worth it. All of the times God answered with a "no" or "not now" will only make when He says "yes" so much more special.

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres." - 1 Corinthians 13:4-7