Would you give ______ up?

Recently I had a really interesting conversation with a girl who has become a C within the last 6 months. She is about my age and a beautiful local girl. Her parents are pressuring her to get married, as is society, and she honestly does want to be married. She is a bit beyond the "typical" marrying age here and I think sometimes she worries about that and maybe even obsesses a bit over her future. But, hey I don't judge her because who hasn't done that! Sadly however, because she is now a sister the probability of her getting married to another C is as we say in the south, "little to none." Unfortunately in this country there are many, many more sisters than there are brothers. So she is faced with an choice....marry a non-brother, as her parents would have her do, or remain single. And yes, you can say all the things that so quickly fly out of our mouths..... "if the Father wills it, it will and so on," but it is still a blatant reality here that she must face. Yes, she still has hope, but just hear my heart......

Later on that same day, I was recounting the conversation to my roommate. As single women, we both have a desire to be married, but He hasn't given us that so for now, we are focusing just on being intimate with the Father. We were discussing how becoming a C as a single woman here basically means singleness. It comes with the package. Not always, but most often than not. It seems like a minute thing when you consider the other things that come with the package here, but still. Anyway, we were discussing about our lives and our dreams and hopes. What if someone had told me the day before I became a C, that I had to give up any hope of ever having love, a marriage, children? As the two of us talked on and on about this, I discovered once again, how shallow my faith is. I honestly can't say that then, in that moment, I would have chosen Him over my own desires and wants. If they had told me, no earthly love, persecution, being outcast, losing a job/career, pressure from parents and relatives and on and on....I can't say what I would have done. Here and now, I know the joys, the glories and that no matter what I have or lose, I have HIM. However, to someone who has never tasted, never seen....how hard is that choice? Think about it....what would you have given up to accept the free gift and truly count the cost?

Have we, ever really had to count the cost, even in the little things?

Beautiful Feet