Why You Shouldn't Put Your Happiness on Hold Until You Get Married

By Mary R. Dittman, M.B.A.

For most of my adult life, I wanted to be married and have a family.

Not because society told me I should.

Not because I thought marriage would magically solve all my problems.

I simply wanted those things. They were part of my vision for a fulfilled life.

The problem is that life didn't unfold according to my timeline.

I'm well over 40.

I've never been married.

I don't have children.

And eventually, I had to face a difficult reality:

What if my circumstances didn't change anytime soon?

Would I spend the rest of my life waiting to be happy?

For a long time, I did.

I kept telling myself that happiness would arrive when marriage arrived.

When that didn't happen, I wasn't just disappointed.

I was miserable.

Looking back, I realize something important:

God wasn't making me miserable.

I was.

God will let you stay as miserable as you choose to be.

Just ask Jonah.

He spent three...

Finding Peace When Life Doesn't Follow Your Timeline

By Mary R. Dittman, M.B.A.

"What if it never happens for me?"

That question haunted me for years.

At 29, I wondered:

"What if I'm 35 and still single?"

Then I turned 35.

So I wondered:

"What if I'm 40 and still single?"

Then I turned 40.

Then 45.

And every time I crossed another milestone, I found myself wrestling with the same fear:

What if the life I imagined never becomes my reality?

For many women, that fear centers around marriage and family.

Not because we're weak.

Not because we're desperate.

But because we've always wanted those things.

We assumed they would happen.

And when they don't, we're forced to confront a difficult possibility:

What if God's plan looks different than mine?

Fear Loves Unanswered Questions

Fear thrives in uncertainty.

It constantly asks:

"What if I'm alone forever?"

"What if everyone else gets their happy ending except me?"

"What if I never get what I've prayed for?"

For year...