Has someone you cared about hurt you on a regular basis? How do we love them?  Or...should we even try to love people who don't love us back? 

I was once in a situation where someone close to me provoked me on a daily basis. I wanted to love them freely, but they were controlling, manipulative and insulting. I survived by adopting sarcasm as a second language, avoiding one on one situations with that person, and putting up walls to make me feel as safe possible. To other people, I appeared strong and confident, but on the inside I felt lonely and misunderstood.

I craved the "greener grass" of sin. I wanted their smiles, their popularity, their money, their houses, their cars, their ability to live in sin unhindered. And, dear reader, I didn’t always make the right choices. I have a few regrets, but for the most part, I resisted the "greener grass”. People snickered, slandered and scoffed at my innocence and naivety.

It's no secret that singleness isn't easy. If we were close friends, I bet you come home from a date sometimes and wonder if there's a "just right" guy out there for you. I bet you wish it was as easy as too hot, too cold, too big, too soft, or too hard. Am I right? All of you single girls should be shouting AMEN!! 

We will all face trials. The outcome is dependent on how we choose to face them. Will we learn our lesson or resent the discipline? Maybe you’re like me; sometime you choose to learn and others choose frustration. The results of our trials come from whether we choose life or death (Debt 30:19). I want to choose life.