Hey friends! After one year of incredible service to TrueLoveDates.com, it’s bittersweet to say goodbye to Molly, my behind-the-scenes intern. Molly has been diligently helping me, by posting daily verses, articles, and truly inspirational quotes and thoughts for the True Love Dates social media pages, as well as other tasks to keep the ministry running. Her personality has shined through this ministry, and she’s encouraged so many people in the process. This is her 4th guest post, and I’m thrilled that she’s shared her heart with us. Thank you, Molly, for everything you’ve done this year…I’m thankful to be able to call you a partner in ministry, and now a friend. We’ll miss you on the TrueLoveDates team, but we’re all excited to see God’s big picture continue to unfold in your life and in your relationships! Leave her some love, below!- Debra
Everything was perfect.
The guy of my dreams had just asked me out. Everyone was so happy for me. I was thrilled that everything was falling into place after so many years of waiting.
…and then I woke up.
At 4:30 that morning I found myself staring up at the ceiling as tinges of sadness and loneliness crept in as I slowly realized everything above had been a dream.
God, why? I found myself asking in the darkness. This hurts. Why have I been single for so long? What’s Your plan? Why?
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Don’t you wish sometimes you could see the full picture?
You know, the full picture that only God can see. The beautiful, unique plan He has for your life. A plan beyond what you can imagine (Jeremiah 29:11).
Four years ago this week I faced a major big picture moment in my life. I was a few months out of college, ready to jump into the real world and put my hard-earned Bachelor’s degree to use. I graduated in 2010…and anyone who graduated that year knows it was not an ideal time to be on the job hunt. I decided to take a step of faith and apply anywhere and everywhere, seeing where He would take me.
Before I knew it, I was accepting a job working at a newspaper in Brownsville, Texas, a town over 1,000 miles away from my family.
It was terrifying to leave everything I knew and loved for the complete unknown. I never traveled to Brownsville before accepting the job (and all my interviews had been on the phone only).
But I went, driving the 26 hours alone, believing and trusting that God had called me to this new city. That trip four years ago changed so much for me. It taught me that sometimes following God when you don’t see the full picture is the best and only thing to do.
I’ve mentioned before how I’ve been single for all 26 years of my life. There have been good days, months, years in this journey because He’s always been faithful to show His goodness in my life. I’ve been trying to make the most of this time, especially when it comes to spending time with Him.
But there have also been really difficult times, like when I woke up from that dream.
I have the type of personality that likes to plan ahead if possible (and I may or may not have some control freak tendencies, too). It can be trying when everything inside of you is resisting and fighting what is happening in your life, when you just want to stop believing that He works all things out for the good of those who are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28).
But it’s no accident that the Bible is full of verses that remind me to hold tightly to the promise that He knows best.
Isaiah 55:8 says, “‘For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,’ declares the Lord.”
“This God–his way is perfect” is pointed out in Psalm 18:30.
I didn’t know what exactly His plan was when He took me to Texas. I didn’t see that big picture until after I went through it and was a few years removed from it. I expect, I know it’ll be the same someday when it comes to my time of singleness.
Now that I look back to my Texas move, I can see the big picture, several years later. That time forced me to draw closer to God because I didn’t know what the future held and I was out of my comfort zone. It’s because of my time in Brownsville that I ended up with some of my dearest friends, mostly from the church small group I joined, who became my second family. Their involvement in my life now, even though I’ve since moved back home, is so important to me. If I hadn’t taken that leap of faith, I would’ve missed out on an incredible first job opportunity.
I don’t know what my life would look like if I hadn’t moved to Texas, but I do know that I would’ve missed out on a very special time in my life.
So when I worry and panic and start to doubt the big picture, these are the things I must remember: He loves me. He wants the best for me. He knows my future. He sees the big picture. And that’s enough for me.
Molly Jasinski is passionate about a lot of things, including serving Jesus, helping with behind-the-scenes work on TrueLoveDates.com, spending time with family and friends, and cheering for the Green Bay Packers. You can follow her stream-of-consciousness on her personal blog or Twitter.
