Happy Monday and Happy Valentine's week! Today's Relationship Monday post is taking a more faith-based route than some of the past posts in this series. After this post topic popped into my head last week, I did a poll on Instagram Stories to see if y'all would be interested in reading. Surprisingly, most of you answered "yes!" - so here's today's blog post. I always feel like my faith posts here on the blog give you more of an insight into the real me, and I hope you enjoy my thoughts on this topic, as it is one that is quite meaningful to me and has been for many years now!
Photo by Amanda Rose Photography
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It's no secret that my Christian faith is a big part of my life, and has been for most of my life. This obviously impacts the way that I view dating and romantic relationships. Something that I have been doing on almost a daily basis for well over a decade now is praying daily for my future husband. Usually it's quick silent prayers, sometimes it's longer, more detailed verbal prayers, and occasionally I even write my prayers down into personal letters. I've been doing this for a such a long time now that it's just apart of how I live my life, and not something that I really think twice about. You'd probably think that since I spend a lot of time praying over my future husband that I'm very obsessed about the fact that I'm not currently in a relationship. That's actually not true at all! I'm quite content being single right now for a variety of reasons, and I'm also holding true to the fact that God will bring the right guy into my life at the right time (and now isn't the right time!). But even though I'm living out my season of singleness currently, I still continue to make these prayers apart of my life. And I thought Valentine's week was the perfect time to share more about that with y'all on the blog!
I can't remember the exact moment or thing that first lead me to start praying for my future husband. Maybe it was a devotional I read in middle school, or a message I heard one week at my church youth group. Honestly- I really can't remember! But I know that whenever I did first hear of this idea, it definitely stuck with me. I was so comforted by the idea of God writing my love story and already knowing the person I'd someday marry, and I wanted to pray for this person and that he was growing into the best man that he could be. And I've continued to do exactly that, regularly. Seriously probably for over a decade now! These prayers were especially comforting to me during certain moments in my life: like when I went solo to my junior prom and was one of the only people in the group I went with who didn't have a date, or after every time in college that I unmatched from someone on a dating app after realizing we weren't compatible (usually based on differences in faith). The prayers are still comforting to me right now at age 23, during a very single season of my life where I'm not dating at all right now, due to figuring out adulthood and my career and putting that all first. Loneliness and playing the comparison game with other girls I know who are in serious relationships can still hit sometimes, but reminding myself why I'm choosing to be single right now and who it is I'm waiting and praying for always helps me refocus.
I also quickly want to share with you this bit of encouragement from a blog post that I read several years ago. This blogger was married, and was reflecting about how she also used to pray for her future husband during her younger, single years. She still continued doing this when she began her relationship with a boyfriend (who would be her future husband!), but she never prayed that this man would be her husband... she still prayed for an anonymous future husband and for God's hand and will in all her relationships. She wrote on her blog that she knew her boyfriend was the One and her future husband when her prayers finally began to change and she started praying all the things she'd pray for an anonymous future husband but for him specifically instead!! I thought that was the sweetest thing and hope to see that in my own life someday.
So now that I've told you a bit why I choose to regularly pray for my future husband and why it means a lot to me, I'll share with you some of the specific things that I pray about for him! If you've never prayed for a future spouse before, it's never too late to begin:
I pray for my future husband's:
*Relationship with the Lord. The biggest one! I pray that he is using his unmarried years to deepen his faith in Christ and that he will be a strong spiritual leader in our marriage someday.
*Current romantic relationships. I pray that with the girls he's dating before we meet that he doesn't have horrible heartbreaks (no one wants a painful break-up!), and I also pray that he is respecting me in his dating life with the same values about purity that I have for him.
*Education. (I used to pray for this one more when I was still a student myself, but who knows- he could still be in school!) I pray that he values education and takes it seriously, and strives to do his best in school. I pray that he is at a school (or an alumni of a school) that is (was) a great fit for his career goals and ambitions.
*Family. I pray for his relationships with his immediate and extended family, and for my future relationship with them! (We've all heard in-law horror stories... I definitely don't want that someday!)
*Friendships. I pray that he surrounds himself with godly, mature, and solid people - the types that are friends for life. I've had a lot of toxic friendships in the past in my own life, and I pray he doesn't have to go through a lot of the friendship hurts I've been through! Friendships are an important part of my own life, and quote that I really like is "Friendships are the family you choose for yourself." I hope he chooses well!
*Finances. I pray that he is making smart financial decisions early in his life, and if he has debts that he is prioritizing eliminating those as soon as possible.
*Safety. I pray over his safety and that the Lord would protect him - both in terms of physical safety and also emotionally!
Those are the main things that I pray for regarding my future husband, but of course there are more things as well. You will notice though that I don't pray for certain things about him. Like I don't ask God that this guy has a certain hair or eye color, that he's not a big football fan just like I'm not, or that we enjoy watching the same types of shows on Netflix. Those are all such small things in the scheme of life, and it's the deeper things about a person that will make a relationship last the test of time.
I'd love to hear any feedback that you have about this topic! Do you also pray for your future spouse? And if you are married - did you do this during your single years?
Enjoy your Valentine's week! I have a fun red and pink outfit coming to the blog on Monday. My outfit details for what I'm wearing in this post are below:
God Bless,
xoxo Annaliese
Although I am not very religious, I am spiritual and I think this is very sweet! I like that you don't ask for specific physical traits but that you focus on the things that are important (ex. friend and safety).
ReplyDeletexo Brie
www.unBRIElievable.com
I love this! I always pray for a husband with a kind heart, a love of service, and a desire to make the world better. :)
ReplyDeleteTori
www.mooretori.com
I absolutely adore this idea! Sometimes it's so hard to know what to pray for when you haven't met the person you're meant to be with... it's a let go, and let God situation for sure!
ReplyDeletewow, i've never heard of this kind of prayer before, but i commend you for doing this. I agree with all these prayers, and even though i'm not super faithful I wish you all the best <3
ReplyDeleteLoved this post! So important to remember we are all right where we need to be in life right now.
ReplyDelete-Nicholle
www.nichollesophia.com
Annaliese, I LOVE this! I used to pray the exact same things for my future husband, my mother basically forced me to at first and then I realized how powerful speaking it into prayer was. The right man will come at the right time and I love that you are comfortable and confident in who you are now!
ReplyDeleteThis is so sweet - I'm not particularly religious but it's nice to wish for the best for your future husband. I love the things you pray for!
ReplyDeletexo Deborah
Coffee, Prose, and Pretty Clothes
Aww I love this girl, I am not super religious but I will send all the vibes and wish for the best future husband for you.
ReplyDeleteThis is the sweetest! I hope you meet the man of your dreams (and prayers!) someday soon.
ReplyDeleteI LOVED seeing this post! As you probably know I prayed for Andy for years before we met. I actually wrote down my prayers/letters to him and it was so special to give him those letters on our wedding day! It was definitely encouraging back when I was single, and also now when we have the occasional struggle (because every relationship has some!)
ReplyDeleteGirl, I have never thought about doing this. What a beautiful way to pray for the great man you know God is going to bring into your life. I love this!
ReplyDelete-xo, Azanique | www.lotsofsass.com
I love this post, lady! Honestly, I'd pray a few of these things for my husband even now. This is such a great way to look toward your future.
ReplyDeleteMolly // Miss Molly Moon
I love love love this! I used to pray for my future husband and write letters to him, too! I need to make a habit more of praying for my husband now. I do thank God for him quite often, but as wives, we are called to be prayer warriors for our spouses. Your husband will so appreciate that you do this for him!
ReplyDeleteI love this post so, so much! Especially this one: *Current romantic relationships. I pray that with the girls he's dating before we meet that he doesn't have horrible heartbreaks (no one wants a painful break-up!), and I also pray that he is respecting me in his dating life with the same values about purity that I have for him.
ReplyDeleteThere aren't many girls out there that would think to pray for their future husband, during their current relationships. I love it!
Thank you for being vulnerable with us and sharing a topic that is so near and dear to your heart. Also, your hat is so cute :)
ReplyDeleteThis is such a sweet post! I am not very religious either but I love seeing how your faith guide you through your single years and gives you the confidence to know that things will work out as they should.
ReplyDeleteApril | http://thebluehydrangeas.com