Dear Friends, I was there to witness God’s great work in Lane’s life. I can only tell you that God does all things well. He redeems, transforms, and grants us our hearts desire–when our heart is aligned with His heart.Trust him with your heart in this season of Valentine’s, as well as every season. He’s got you! Sara
Gifts, Faithfulness and the Rest of the Story by Lane Yoder
You may be asking yourself, “What are these gifts of singleness?” I learned that one of the greatest gifts of singleness is the opportunity to spend seemingly unlimited time alone with God. When God was doing a deep work on my heart, I found myself waking up at 4:30 a.m. on a regular basis and was able to spend 2+ hours every morning before work reading and studying God’s Word – pouring over it – as well as spend that time praying. Another gift of singleness is the ability to invest deeply in many friendships. Singleness provides the gift of time and opportunity to serve in many ways, in many places and for periods of time that may not be possible once married. An obvious gift of singleness is freedom – freedom of choices, of travel, with money and many others. In marriage, there is freedom as well, but it looks different. In marriage, you are free to love one person wholly, but sometimes, the freedom once enjoyed in singleness changes. The point is don’t waste the time you have and don’t put your life on hold while waiting for marriage or any longing to happen. Live your life now!
What did I learn about God in my long journey of singleness? I learned that He is faithful. Despite my anger and my tears, despite my feeling abandoned and forgotten, God was faithful and He never left me. He heard my bitter prayers, my softest cries and my quiet pleas. The verses I clung to became the song of my heart. As I look back over all those years of waiting and wanting, if I had them to do over again, I would have trusted God more and I would have been more faithful to Him, but thankfully, His grace is abundant.
“And now, for the rest of the story…” On November 12, 2011, in a beautiful chapel in Tennessee, a pastor pronounced us husband and wife. Less than 5 ½ months earlier, we had had our 2nd date, a mere 25 years after our 1st. I met my husband in college in 1986. He, a junior, was the lab assistant for my freshmen Chemistry class and he was actually my very 1st date in college. However, we only had the one date. There was another woman present at the fraternity formal we attended that night. They had dated the semester prior and when she saw us together, she realized she only wanted him. They married after graduation, became the proud parents of two wonderful boys and were happily married for nearly 22 years. Sadly, however, she passed away after a long battle with cancer.
When my husband was ready to date, he remembered our date from 1986 and set out to find me and find me he did. The good news is that I was now FREE – free from the enslavement of my idol. I was free to love the boys’ mother and to honor her memory and celebrate her life, and I was free to love and embrace her family as well. I no longer had an idol that could be threatened or that I needed to protect. By God’s abundant grace and perfect timing, He has allowed me to become not only a wife, but the boys’ mother as well. “He gives the childless woman a family, making her a happy mother. Praise the LORD!” (Psalm 113:9).
Survival Guide Top Tip: never, ever doubt that God is at work in your life. He will be found faithful.
