Whether you are single, taken, or somewhere in the middle, February 14th has a way of reestablishing your current relationship status. The challenge of navigating a world driven by emotion and social media persona means we are constantly fighting the battle of separating perception from reality and managing the influence that perception has on our own worth and experiences. If we are not careful, we can build plans for our future based on pictures we’ve seen of others, experiences we watched on the LIVE feed, or even on the #relationshipgoals sitting across the aisle from us at church.
This constant flow of filtered and cropped reality can shape our view of life around us, leaving us slightly disappointed and highly motivated by the approval of others. Genesis 24 tells the story of a lonely young man whose mother had just died. He had no real prospective for a wife since he was not to marry from the land they lived in. Abraham sent his servant with clear instruction to “find his son a wife.”
I’d write out this story for you, but chances are you probably know it by now, so I will simply give you the bullet points.

The servant prayed that he would know Isaac’s future wife by her willingness to serve. He prayed a specific prayer of what that would look like. Rebekah came through and went above and beyond with the servant and his animals. The servant asked if she’d be willing to return with him and marry his master, Isaac. She agreed and they began their journey home where they met Isaac in the field.

There are a couple things I’d like to point out from this story.
While you probably don’t have a servant searching other countries for a mate for you, it doesn’t mean you are responsible for that job. We can spend a lot of time caught up in the search for the “one,”consumed with easing the loneliness that can sneak in. Then we completely miss the real purpose of our lonely season. To quote my pastor’s wife, “Stay in your lane. ,” That means we should let God work out the details, and we should continue doing what we know we should do.

Second, when the servant and the young woman returned, they found Isaac in the field praying and meditating. While the Lord was orchestrating Isaac’s future, Isaac was preparing himself and focusing on the Lord. This is surely something you’ve heard over and over, but you must be trustworthy with God’s blessings. There will surely be seasons of waiting in your life. You will need to decide how you will spend that time. It must be intentional.

Finally, everything God does is good. Isaac and Rebekah are simply another example of His grace and His care for our needs. We read in Genesis 24:67, “So she became his wife, and he loved her; and Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death.” This verse is precious to me because we know their story. The Lord knew just what was needed. He brought them love, comfort, a partner, and the knowledge that there was a God who cared about the details.

This season can be both a blessing and a challenge. When we live our lives through the lens of Instagram, we can find ourselves tempted to take things into our own hands and “find our own joy.” This is quite opposite of what the Lord has instructed us to do. “Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things will be added unto you” (Matthew 6:33). The Lord will be faithful to His word. If you will let go and give God the reins to your future, you will peace, joy and the comfort that Isaac experienced.
Forget #Relationshipgoals.

Log out of the pressure to take control and give God the unconditional time and space to bless you more than you could ever imagine.

Olivia Black is a coffee lover and is always looking for a reason to bake a cake. She has a Bachelors in Organizational Leadership from ASU and an Associates in Music from Gateway College. She just recently married her other half, Brandon Black and together they serve at Lakeview Pentecostal Church in Blue Springs, MO.