Discover the profound lessons hidden in a simple garden, where every seed planted holds the potential for abundant growth or missed opportunities. As you nurture the soil of your life, you'll uncover how seemingly promising ideas can bloom without bearing fruit if they're not carefully chosen. This exploration reveals the importance of aligning your decisions and commitments with a greater purpose, ensuring your efforts yield lasting, meaningful results. Dive deeper to learn practical strategies for discerning what truly thrives, and avoid wasting valuable resources on paths that lead nowhere. Ultimately, embracing intentionality can transform your journey, inviting a harvest that enriches both spirit and soul—don't miss the full insights waiting just ahead.

 

Whether you are single because of divorce, loss, or because you’ve never been married, this season can feel complicated. You may look around and wonder how you ended up here — single, over 40, and still waiting for the promises you believed would’ve come to pass by now. But the truth is, you are not behind. You are right where God needs you to be.

So often, society tries to define a person’s worth by their relationship status. But God defines us by something much deeper — our identity in Him. Isaiah 43:1 says, “I have called you by name; you are Mine.” You are not forgotten, overlooked, or left out. You are known, loved, and chosen by a God who writes beautiful stories in His perfect timing.

This season isn’t wasted. Maybe you’ve spent years healing from heartbreak, rediscovering who you are, or raising children alone. Or perhaps you’ve poured yourself into your career, ministry, or personal growth, wondering if it’s too late for love. It’s not too late for anything that God has planned for you.

Singleness over 40 isn’t a pause on life — it’s a sacred opportunity to live it fully. It’s a time to deepen your relationship with Christ, to walk in purpose, and to serve others from a place of wisdom and grace. You can travel, build new friendships, start a ministry, or finally step into the dream God placed in your heart years ago.

When we stop viewing singleness as an absence and start seeing it as an assignment, everything changes. You are not “waiting” for life to begin — you’re living it right now, and God is using this time to shape your heart and prepare you for what’s ahead.

Let’s be honest — there are days when the quiet feels heavy. Maybe you miss companionship or wonder if anyone will ever see your heart the way God does. But in those moments, remember Psalm 34:18: “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”

You don’t walk this journey alone. God is near. And often, He surrounds us with community — friends, church family, and others — to remind us of His love and faithfulness.

Faith doesn’t mean pretending the longing isn’t there. It means trusting God even when we don’t understand the “why” or “when.” It means believing that His plans are good — even if they don’t look like ours. Romans 8:28 promises that “all things work together for good to those who love God and are called according to His purpose.”

So, whether your path to singleness was by choice or circumstance, remember that God wastes nothing. He can use every chapter — even the ones that broke you — to write something beautiful.

 

 

If this message encouraged you, I invite you to stay connected with His Beloved Life Coach and Mentoring. Together, we walk through seasons of change, healing, and rediscovery — finding joy, freedom, and purpose in Christ.
 
 Visit hisbelovedcoach.com to learn more about coaching sessions, devotionals, and resources designed to help you live a life rooted in faith and purpose.
 
 You are seen. You are chosen. You are deeply loved.

There are times in life when the people who are supposed to be closest to us—family, longtime friends, even a spouse—can feel so far away. We hope they will understand us, show up for us, and love us the way we need, but instead we’re met with silence, indifference, or actions that seem to disregard our feelings. It hurts deeply, and if we’re not careful, that hurt can settle into our hearts as resentment. There’s a unique ache when family or loved ones can’t show up for you the way you expect. Maybe they were never taught how to express love, maybe their own pain keeps them distant, or maybe they are loving you the best way they know how—but it still doesn’t meet the need you feel. For a long time, I believed that if someone truly cared for me, they would automatically know how to show it. But expectations often set us up for disappointment, and disappointment can harden the heart if it’s not surrendered to God. Over time, I’ve had to learn, often the hard way, that I can’t control how others love me or respond to me, but I can control how I choose to respond to them—and my response matters to God. The truth is, my identity and worth can’t rest on someone else’s ability to love me well. Psalm 27:10 says, “Though my father and mother forsake me, the Lord will receive me,” and that verse reminds me that my Heavenly Father loves me perfectly, without condition or limit.

I also have to be honest—there were seasons in my life when I didn’t just feel hurt, I wanted to hurt back. Not in a physical way, but in my thoughts, words, and actions. If someone wounded me, I would think of things I could say or do that I believed would cause them disappointment or pain. At the time, it felt like justice, but in reality, it wasn’t justice at all—it was me playing right into the hands of the enemy. The Lord calls us to something better. Romans 12:19 tells us, “Do not take revenge, my dear friends… It is mine to avenge; I will repay, says the Lord.” When I stepped back and looked honestly at what I was doing, I realized that my attempts to hurt them were really hurting me even more. Bitterness doesn’t heal wounds; it deepens them. And even if the other person felt a sting, I was the one walking around with the weight of anger, keeping the wound open instead of letting God heal it.

Just because someone doesn’t show up for me the way I want—even disregarding my feelings at times—does not give me the right to hold a grudge, repay hurt with hurt, or stop being kind. God’s Word calls me to a higher way: “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good” (Romans 12:21). “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you” (Luke 6:27). “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you” (Ephesians 4:32). Forgiveness doesn’t mean saying what they did was okay; it means releasing them from the debt I feel they owe me and trusting God to handle the rest.

When I stopped focusing on who wasn’t there for me and began to notice who was, my heart began to shift. Sometimes it’s the friend who sends a quick “thinking of you” text, the church sister who prays for you without being asked, or the neighbor who always waves when you pass by. These people are gifts from God—reminders that He has not forgotten you. Proverbs 17:17 says, “A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity,” and Ecclesiastes 4:9–10 reminds us that “two are better than one… if either of them falls down, one can help the other up.” God often uses unexpected people to fill the gaps left by others, showing His love in ways we might have overlooked.

Through it all, I’ve learned that no matter who comes and goes in my life, one thing remains unshakable—God is always near. Hebrews 13:5 promises, “I will never leave you nor forsake you,” and Psalm 34:18 says, “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” His love fills every gap, His presence brings peace, and His faithfulness steadies my heart when human relationships fall short.

Prayer: Father, thank You for the people You’ve placed in my life. Help me to forgive those who couldn’t be who I wanted or needed them to be. Protect my heart from bitterness and teach me to respond with love, even when I’ve been hurt. Thank You for surrounding me with people who love me—whether they hold a title in my life or not. Keep me from seeking revenge, and remind me that vengeance belongs to You alone. Above all, thank You for being the One who never leaves, never fails, and never stops loving me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Loving the hard to love can be a profound lesson in grace—a truth that resonates when facing moments of hurtful words or actions. It's in these times that one is reminded of their own moments of being hard to love, yet still pursued and loved unconditionally by God. Romans 5:8 encapsulates this idea perfectly: God loved us at our most unlovable, not because we earned it, but because that is His nature.

Seeing others through God's eyes, especially those who are difficult, represents a reflection of His unwavering patience and desire for everyone's redemption. While it may be challenging to extend love to those who gossip or retaliate in pain, the realization that one's own hardest moments were met with divine love compels us to mirror this grace. As 2 Peter 3:9 illustrates, God's patience and desire for all to find repentance emphasize the inclusivity of His love, even for those we struggle with.

Praying for those who have caused hurt transforms our perspective, guiding us to forgive and love, akin to how Jesus asked for forgiveness for His persecutors. Engaging in genuine prayer for the well-being and heart of someone difficult to love facilitates this transformation. This understanding underscores that real, Christ-centered love is a choice—a choice that reflects Jesus' example and has the power to soften even the hardest hearts, reminding us that love, indeed, changes everything.

In today's fast-paced world, it's easy to get lost in the hustle, losing touch with the pure joy of intimacy with the Lord. Reflecting on those early, cherished moments of spiritual connection, there's a longing to simply be in God's presence—beyond routines and obligations. Life's busyness often redirects focus from being with God to doing for God, leading to a yearning for that once-vibrant relationship to be restored.

Rediscovering this deep connection isn't a solo journey; it's about relying on God's unwavering love to guide us back. It's His love that penetrates through the fog of distractions, rekindling the joy of sitting at His feet, unchanged by time or circumstance. As we enter a new season, the call is to prioritize this sacred relationship, not out of duty but out of delight.

Let this year be marked by renewed spiritual intimacy, where time with the Lord reflects a sincere longing for His presence. Whether for those rekindling this connection or discovering it anew, the goal is simple: to encounter God in a transformative way. Through laughter, tears, and stillness, may we remember the beauty of being with Him, letting His love be the center of our existence.