Wisdom from Titus2 Women to Single Girls, Part 2

“The older women likewise, that they be…teachers of good things – that they admonish the young women.” -Titus 2

I am so excited to be sharing part two of this two-part blog post with you all!! Awhile back, I had the idea to approach some Christian women who were older than myself to ask them this question:

“What is some of the best advice you would give to a single young lady?”

Also:

“What would you tell your younger, 20-year-old self?”

I was so blessed by the responses I received to these questions, and I pray they are a blessing to you as well! As I was reading through each of these responses, a repeated theme stuck out to me: Immerse yourself in God’s Word – hide it in your heart, go to it for answers for everything you face in this life, and live by it. Also, to fully serve the Lord with our TODAYS.

I wanted to say a big THANK YOU to all of the Titus2 ladies who shared what the Lord laid on their hearts for this blog post!! 💗

In Psalm 46, God speaks through the psalmist to remind us that God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help us with whatever is troubling us. We are reminded of God’s great works in the past, and we are to “be still” and to “know” that He is with us and will continue His mighty works through us. Only in HIM can we find this strength and comfort.

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.

Therefore we will not fear, even though the earth be removed, And though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;

Though its waters roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with its swelling. Selah

There is a river whose streams shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacle of the Most High.

God is in the midst of her, she shall not be moved; God shall help her, just at the break of dawn.

The nations raged, the kingdoms were moved; He uttered His voice, the earth melted. The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah

Come, behold the works of the Lord, Who has made desolations in the earth. He makes wars cease to the end of the earth;

He breaks the bow and cuts the spear in two; He burns the chariot in the fire.

Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations,

I will be exalted in the earth! The Lord of hosts is with us;

The God of Jacob is our refuge.

Selah.”

~82-year-old Titus2 Woman

My go to verse is one I lean on in all circumstances in life, and that is Proverbs 3:5-6: “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.”

~76-year-old Titus2 Woman

The importance of reading through all of God’s Word is something I did not value as a younger person. I would always just pick my favorite parts of the Bible to read and would skip the Old Testament because I thought it was just too boring.  But now after reading through the Bible every year for the last 20 years or so I have discovered many treasures from all of God’s Word and now have many favorite verses from the Old Testament as well.

There are many important truths in all of God’s Word. It guides and directs every area of life and we need to be reading it daily, especially in the younger years as that being the time when major life choices are made. Each time that I read through God’s Word there are new truths that demand my attention. It is always amazing how God uses what I am reading on a given day to speak to what is going on in my life at that moment.

Isaiah 55:10-11 speaks of the importance of God’s Word in our lives:

For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven,

and do not return there, but water the earth, and make it bring forth and bud,

that it may give seed to the sower and bread to the eater.

So shall my word by that goes forth from My mouth:

It shall not return to Me void, but shall accomplish what I please,

and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.

Some advice I would have told my single, younger self would be to not date around and just be patient and wait for that special person God had for me.  The dating aspect allows for a greater chance of giving your heart to a young man that may not end up being your husband. Song of Solomon 3:5 gives sound wisdom for guarding this:

I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem,

by the gazelle or by the does of the field,

do not stir up nor awaken love until it pleases.

~55-year-old Titus2 Woman

I believe if we pray specifically in Christ name, of course we must be IN Christ to begin with, that God hears and answers all of our prayers. Not necessarily when we want, but in God’s time. I was 19 and Buddy was 24 when we married. It was a good balance. He was and still is a Godly man. We have not had a perfect marriage, but we worked to that effect. I believe we must be true to ourselves and stay that way, that is not to say that we cannot better ourselves. I strive to be a better me today than I was yesterday. These attributes should be started before marriage, but reading, studying the Bible and leaning those things we can do to enhance what God gave us. I have a bad habit of giving the long version and get off the main tract. The one thing I would have done more was to dig deeper in God’s word.

~75-year-old Titus2 Woman

Here’s what I would tell my 20-year-old self, if I could:

You’ve been hired into Kingdom service by the King Himself. Live that life with confidence.

Enjoy the right now, and don’t allow anxiousness for the future to cloud all that God is doing in your daily life. Yes, plan ahead. Yes, prepare yourself for what might be down the road. But don’t forfeit the time in front of you —the moments that have been designated to you only, to be used to serve the Lord, in the way that only you can do. Find peace and joy in knowing that you’ve been hand-picked by the Creator to do His work. Not every moment will feel fulfilling or exciting, but overall, you’ll learn the blessed tension of the contentment and adventure of a God-led life.

Don’t make the mistake of thinking too much, OR too little, of your dreams.

Also, don’t ever be ashamed of how large or small or seemingly incompatible your dreams are. Dreams and preferences are useful, and worthy of testing out for their plausibility and sustainability. God uses the way He made us, to help us do what He’s called us to do. But also don’t be surprised if the way God works in your life takes a different angle on those dreams, than you thought might happen. There may be times when you assess your right-now, and think to yourself that what you want most in life is “obviously” not in His plan, and you’d better just get used to the annoying mundane of the everyday. But as you do each next thing that God places in your path, you may just look back and see that He was teaching you along the way; using your gifts and talents, personality and preferences to further His kingdom work, and bless His people. You may see your dreams realized in seemingly unrelated areas of life. Our God is good at that – turning our messy and varied interests into the carefully woven fabric of His plans. You’ve been given so many gifts that God can use, and that you’re even now letting Him use. List them out. Ask those who know you well to help make the list, and you might be surprised at what they add. Then work hard at cultivating these talents. They’re your toolbox that God has given you to do cool Kingdom things with Him. Have fun with it, but don’t tie Him down to ONLY using you in those ways.

Look back often. Look forward often. Look up always.

Remind yourself, on paper when possible, of all that God has done and is doing in your life. Where He’s brought you, what He’s teaching you, and how He’s working in the lives of those around you. So often in Scripture, God’s people are told to REMEMBER! It’s a learned exercise that slowly turns into a necessary habit.

But so is looking forward. Spread out before the Lord (Hezekiah-style) the crazy, and the unknown. The hoped-for outcomes, the worry or sorrow, wonder or joy. Look at your tomorrows, and seek the Lord’s direction. If He can lead all the Bible-people, He can and will lead you.

And through it all, keep looking up. That takes practice too, but it’s so worth it. If you look down or around, those life-waves will take you down as fast as they did for Peter on the water; but if you keep your eyes on the Master, He’ll keep you walking right toward Him. All the happy or sad perplexities find their answers in Him. It’s not always a smooth road He has us on, but it’s a good road. And He’s in front holding (being) the Light, so you’re going to make it through every next step.

He is the Author of your story; and His writing is always better than we can imagine.

Not necessarily easier, or less complicated in the moment, than stories written by ourselves, or by the world around us. However, God’s plot-line always brings His characters through an arc that they couldn’t have imagined for themselves, but wouldn’t trade for the world. My prayer for you, is that you will always let Him hold the pen, and that your adventures will be motivated and powered by Him. And as you do, may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. (Romans 15:13)

-36-year-old Titus2 Woman

I’m afraid I don’t have profound advice and nothing that hasn’t been said before.

I was married when I was 19 and had not gone through the period of longing to be married. In fact, it would have been fine with me to have remained single and independent for a long time to come. But for me that wasn’t in God’s plan and he has greatly used married life to temper my independent self.

But I think of two ladies in the Bible that are wonderful testimonies for any of us—married or unmarried. In a very difficult circumstance that Mary found herself in, she was able to say ‘Behold the handmaid of the Lord, be it unto me according to thy word.’ Exactly.

The other woman is Anna and I have always hoped if I found myself in a similar tragic situation that I would do as she. She had been a widow for 84 years and ‘departed not from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day.’

The secret to happiness is not our circumstances, but our contentment in the Lord—‘to know him.’

Practical advice? Never leave dirty dishes until the morning—Ever! 🙂

­~39-year-old Titus2 Woman

“With my whole heart I have sought You; Oh, let me not wander from Your commandments! Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You.” -Psalm 119:10-11

~52-year-old Titus2 Woman

Proverbs 2: 2-11:  Daily asking God for Wisdom, Discernment, and Discretion.

“So that you incline your ear to wisdom, And apply your heart to understanding; Yes, if you cry out for discernment, And lift up your voice for understanding, If you seek her as silver, And search for her as for hidden treasures; Then you will understand the fear of the LORD, And find the knowledge of God. For the LORD gives wisdom; From His mouth come knowledge and understanding; He stores up sound wisdom for the upright; He is a shield to those who walk uprightly; He guards the paths of justice, And preserves the way of His saints. Then you will understand righteousness and justice, Equity and every good path. When wisdom enters your heart, And knowledge is pleasant to your soul, Discretion will preserve you; Understanding will keep you.”

And, Philippians 4:6-9: Learn to live in the peace God gives us through prayer and thinking on the things listed in verse 8.

“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you.”

~80-year-old Titus2 Woman