Girls Night #139: For the Girl Who Thought she Would be Married by Now (or is Just Feeling Behind in Life)

In this episode, Mac & Kenz, from Delight Ministries, and I chat about what to do when the timeline you have for your life isn't going as you had planned — especially when it comes to marriage!

IN THIS PODCAST EPISODE YOU’LL LEARN:

What to do when you feel like you should be married by now or that you’re falling behind
How to overcome intrusive thoughts like, “I’m just not good enough,” when dating
What to do when you feel like there are no good Christian guys left
Why we should be spending time with married couples as a single person
How to look for God’s goodness in every situation
What it means to have open hands and an open heart for what God has in store for you

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(You can also listen right here!👇)

ABOUT THIS EPISODE

Hey friends! Welcome to Girls’ Night!

Today we’re officially kicking off Season 13 of the Girls Night Podcast, and I’m so happy to be back! We have amazing guests lined up for this season. I can’t wait for you to hear from them!

We’re starting off this season by welcoming back two of your favorite Girls Night guests and my dear friends, Mackenzie Wilson and Mackenzie Durham, or Mac & Kenz!

If this is your first time meeting them, Mac & Kenz are the founders of Delight Ministries and For The Girl.

Today’s episode is for the girl who thought she’d be married right now. I think so many of us can relate to that feeling, right? If you’re anything like me, you have this timeline in your head of how your life is going to go. “When I’m this old, I’ll meet my husband, when I’m this old, I’ll get married. We’ll be married for this long and then we’ll have our first baby, and that’s how my life is going to go!”

But, also, if you’re anything like me, things don’t exactly go according to plan. And that’s really hard. It’s really hard and it’s disappointing and it’s frustrating, and then to make a tough situation even worse, you may find yourself surrounded by friends whose timelines actually DO match up with how you thought yours would go. And now you may be feeling the weight of longing and loneliness, and ALSO feeling like you’re falling behind.

Anyone know what I’m talking about here?

That’s why I’m so excited for this episode.

Today on the show, Mac and Kenz are going to be sharing with us what they’ve learned as their stories haven't gone according to plan.

I love getting to share this episode with you this week in particular, because so much of what we talk about in this episode are things I’ve been talking about with my Fall 2021 class of my course Love Your Single Life. This episode is a little snippet of what the course is all about!

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LINKS FROM THE SHOW

Steph’s book, The Lipstick Gospel (here’s a paperback copy and here’s a free digital download!)

Steph’s prayer journals, Every Single Moment and The Between Places

Delight Ministries

For the Girl

Past Girls Night episodes with Mac & Kenz:

Girls Night #11: How to Grow in Your Faith, in Community, and in Your Calling

Girls Night #86: How to be a Leader in Women’s Ministry

Quotes Mentioned:

"You're not behind because God is never behind, he's right on time." - Kenz

"Not only are you not behind, but you also have incredible things in your hands right now that God has placed before you that you get to step into fully without other distractions" - Mac

"If you have to change something about yourself to be in a relationship, it is not worth it" - Mac

"I think that so many women are so stuck in their singleness because they're waiting on empty...there's so much open space in their life that they constantly feel the void" - Mac

"There are really beautiful things happening in your life, right here, right now, that on the other side you will miss" - Mac

"I think His timeline for each person is so beautiful" - Kenz

"I really believe celebration is an act of worship" - Kenz

"The more we step out of our comfort zones, the more awesome single guys we're going to meet" - Stephanie

"...noticing and recognizing that there's nobody better to trust with your heart and with your story than God" - Mac

"Our relationship status is not our identity" - Kenz

"Sometimes we think God is stagnant, but I think God is always in motion for us" - Mac

"Every time I decide to really show up for someone, a bunch of beautiful things happen that I never would have expected" - Stephanie

"I really believe that when you meet somebody you should have to make room for them in your life because your life is so fruitful and overflowing with relationships and purpose" - Mac

"I think in order for God to really move in our life, he needs both our open hearts and our hands to truly start working" - Mac