by Amy Waterman, author of How to Be Irresistible to Men

A friend told me a wonderful story last year. It was the story of a woman who was living in the deep South, along a river that threatened to spill its banks every year but never did. She told everyone who would listen that she wasn’t afraid if the river flooded. God would save her. All she had to do was believe in Him.

The time came when the winter was particularly fierce. Rains hurtled down for weeks. The river, brown and raging, broke its banks and flooded the town. Cars were swept away first, then sheds, then entire houses.

Despite the call to evacuate, there were those who stayed. One was the woman. A rescuer plowed through the mud and rising waters and told her, "Jump in my van! I’ll take you to safety."

She refused. "I have no need of your help. God will save me!"

The rescuer looked at her unbelievingly, saw others who needed rescuing, and left her to her belief.

As the waters rose, her house began to fill with water. She climbed to the roof and called on God to save her.

A man in a boat came by. "Jump in my boat!" he said. "I’ll take you to safety."

She refused. "I have no need of your help. God will save me!"

"As you will, madam," he said as he bent into the oars, searching for others who wanted to be saved.

The flood was broadcast on national television, and rescue workers poured in from surrounding areas. Helicopters swept over the raging waters. One spotted the wet, bedraggled woman on the rooftop.

A man leaned out, gesturing to the copter pilot to maneuver closer. "Take my hand!" he called. "I’ll get you to safety!"

"I have no need of your help!" she cried. "God will save me!"

"As you will," he said, and the helicopter flew off to rescue those who wanted saving.

The waters rose even higher, and swept her away to her death.

When the woman approached the Pearly Gates, she met her Heavenly Father. "Father!" she cried. "I called upon You! I had faith! Why didn’t You save me?"

In His infinite wisdom, He said, "I tried. I sent a van to you. Then I sent a boat. Then I sent a helicopter. You chose not to be saved."

The story had a profound effect on me. So often, it is easy to complain about our life and wonder why we’re not meeting the man of our dreams, why our lives aren’t like we wished they were. We feel like we deserve better than what we’re getting. We see people around us with wonderful partners leading happy lives, and we feel that we’re outside the privileged circle.

Yet we may be looking so hard for a prince on a white stallion to ride up and save us from singledom that we miss the numerous chances at happiness that God sends our way.

There is a phrase that I love: "Let go and let God." It reminds me that my life is in bigger hands than mine.

I tend to get overwhelmed by life. I have so much to do, so many responsibilities, and so much (I think>) riding on my success or failure. When I remember to let go and let God, I leave the "driving" of my life to Someone Else … someone who is actually a much better driver than me. I trust that God is sending magical opportunities my way. All I have to do is notice them and say YES to them.

The mistake that the woman in the story made was that she thought that all she needed was her faith. When I tell women to believe in the possibility of love, they often tell me: "But I do believe and nothing has happened yet!"

That’s because you need more than faith. You need to be able to see opportunities when they’re given to you, and you need to be able to to what you don’t know or what might be frightening.

When you let God have the driver’s seat, you may find that He tells you to stop looking for men. He’ll send the right man into your life when the time is right, but for now you need to work on yourself. You may need to discover a hidden talent, spend time on your career, or develop yourself at a higher spiritual level. All He asks in return is that you trust that you’re supposed to be single right now because there are things you have to do.

Wouldn’t that be amazing if we could accept being single and believe that being single was the best thing for us at this very moment? How would we live our life differently if we knew that there was meaning and purpose to our single state?

I believe that once we’ve discovered why we’re single at this very moment, we can take advantage of the opportunities that it presents to us. Then - and here is where the magic happens - once we’ve done that, an amazing relationship will come into our lives.

Unlike the woman in the flood, we’re going to not just believe that a wonderful relationship is waiting for us. We’re also going to keep our eyes open and say YES to opportunity, even if we’re scared of taking an outstretched hand.

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Dating and relationship expert Amy Waterman reaches tens of thousands of women a day with her "How to Be Irresistible to Men" newsletter.  Visit her website today to sign up and receive free dating advice delivered straight to your inbox.  Plus, don't forget to check out the course that's changed thousands of women's lives.  "How to Be Irresistible to Men" has been going strong for nearly a decade, and it remains one of the definitive attract-men courses online.  You won't know what's holding you back from finding the relationship you deserve unless you give it a try.