Preserved by Purpose: Blessings Come in Threes

A number of years ago, I shared with one of my English Composition classes the wonderful love story of Victorian writers Elizabeth Barrett Browning and Robert Browning. They fell in love over a 20-month correspondence that produced over 574 letters. When I asked if this kind of courtship via letters could occur in our modern times,  most of my students agreed that it couldn’t because people are too impatient nowadays.  One student emphatically stated that our society is so used to “instant” everything that it would be hard, if not impossible. 

Even after I explained how within the letters Elizabeth and Robert got to know each other and developed a deep spiritual and emotional connection, my class still insisted that it would take too long to wait for a letter. They rejected my theory that if our modern society had that same sincere anticipation, there might be more successful relationships. The class discussions made me think about three blessings of singleness (anticipation, integrity and sincerity) and how they could help people develop the patience to wait with the right attitude.    

Here’s what I mean by the blessing of singleness. So much of the experience of being single seems to be focused on waiting: Waiting for the right person and waiting to be married. Yet, there are blessings that come while we are waiting. These include the following:

• Blessing of Anticipation – Have the assurance that no matter how long the wait, God will answer our prayers and fulfill our hearts desires.
• Blessing of Integrity – Seek to build a life and character that honors God both in public and private.
• Blessing of Sincerity – Decide that living a life purely motivated by a desire to do right.

These blessings may have the biggest impact on our lives while we are single. Why is that? Being able to wait with assurance on God is made much easier when you have a character of integrity. By the same token, part of why you develop integrity is because you want to be sincere in your actions. Like a domino effect, these three blessings appear to have the potential to influence your daily life’s decisions. Psalm 119:2 says   “Blessed are they who keep his statutes and seek him with all their heart.”

As much as I hated to admit it, my classes’ responses showed me that so many people today are impatient. If you don’t get a response to your morning text message within minutes, you text immediately to find out what happened. Sadly, out of impatience, we compromise and attach ourselves to people and behaviors that can be destructive. In some instances, rather than anticipating God, we try to manipulate him. 

All three (anticipation, integrity and sincerity) point to living a life being led by a heart that is motivated to act sincerely by the desire of what is right. Even when we feel the uncomfortable “fire” of having to wait or make the decision based on God’s will and not our immediate needs, embracing these three blessings might make the wait more bearable. 

Shewanda Riley is a Dallas-based author of “Love Hangover: Moving from Pain to Purpose After a Relationship Ends” and “Writing to the Beat of God’s Heart: A Book of Prayers for Writers.”   Email her at preservedbypurpose@gmail.com or follow her on Instagram @shewandawrites.