It has been almost six months since I became single. And it really doesn’t bother me (yet, haha!) For the past months I had been burying myself to exploring new things, new interests and old hobbies, which include READING.

One day, I was chatting with an officemate about heart stuff then she told me she was reading this Christian book entitled ”WHAT TO DO UNTIL LOVE FINDS YOU“ (by Michelle Mckinney Hammond). She was not yet done reading it but she lent it to me. I started reading it the moment I got hold of the book. It seemed like the author was talking to me (as in really talking to me)! I was only in the Introduction but I was hooked. I usually put highlights/markings on my books when I like a passage/statement and since it wasn’t mine, what I did, I returned the book after reading a few pages and bought my own copy! It was really the introduction that caught me.

Hammond started with, “Someone once said, ‘Men are like buses – you miss one, there’s always another.’”

Yes it’s true, there’s always the next bus. This means that you have to wait. But when it arrives, will you be ready to get on it?

You either wait passively – miss the next bus by just sitting on the bench wasting time doing nothing, or actively – making sure all belongings are set, ready to hop in to the next one. It’s just like waiting for the arrival of your mate (or your future spouse). You have to make sure that you have prepared your heart, your soul, your head, your everything so that when he arrives, you’re all set!

Actively waiting means allowing yourself to grow as an individual, to serve God, to do things for yourself, to get close to your family and to help your community. By the time your mate arrives, you have done all there is to be done but to be a wife to him and a mother to your future children.

So to all the single ladies who want to be married, believe that God is molding you to be the best for your future partner. Do things you like and necessary for your growth - bake, cook, read books, make jewellries, paint, travel, retreat, go to the beach, meet new people, make new friends, seek for your old friends, explore business opportunities, study, volunteer, take pictures, have a pet, run in a marathon, have a diary, blog. There are a million things to do.

Take this moment in your life as an opportunity to prepare yourself to become God’s best for your future spouse and I bet you, He will surely give who’s best for you.  

The book is really inspiring and has helped me greatly. It has helped me feel complete and happy about myself while waiting. It’s definitely a good read.

Overall, this book is a collection of stories from women everywhere with different experiences that Elisabeth Elliot put together in order to answer some questions in the hearts of so many women today. You will find letters about heartache, longing, fulfillment, mistakes, answered prayers. And just like when people discovered that there was a book called Passion and Purity, lots of people must have bought this book to find answers for the things that bother their hearts. Maybe that was why I bought this book.

I read fast. I can finish a book with more than 400 pages in less than a day. But it has been months and I haven’t finished this book yet. It’s just that I don’t want to.

When I was reading this book last February, my mind became so full of thoughts about marriage, The One, Mr. Right, when he was going to come, and how. And  unlike when I was reading Passion and Purity, I had to force myself to continue reading this book just so I would finish it and get it over with. It was like that, until one day, this book was in my hands, I was doing my bedtime reading, and I decided I won’t read it anymore. It’s not worth it. It stirs up too many thoughts and feelings in me. I’m sad to say that I was maybe only more than 10 pages away to finishing the book. I am that stubborn. But I’m still thankful it still got through my thick head.

Please don’t get me wrong. This is a good book, and Elisabeth Elliot shared some wonderful insights on situations that young women experience, especially the most heartbreaking ones. But I am simply not in the right season to be reading this.

When I put the book back among the row of finished/to-be-read books, I felt so relieved. And I’m not plagued with those kinds of thoughts anymore. I have decided that I won’t read that book again until I get engaged, or when someone proposes to me. Then, I’ll really have a reason to read this book.

I had this same feeling when I was reading “What to Do Until Love Finds You”, which is a book I really don’t recommend. It talks more about being ready for Mr. Right (which is completely contradictory to its title!), than what you have to do right now, in this season of singleness. “Passion and Purity” is still on top of my list when it comes to books on this topic.