The Gift of Singleness

As Philip said in John 14:8, "show us the Father and that will be enough for us" So, I'm taking that a bit out of context as to what Philip was trying to say, but basically, God is enough for us! Psalm 84 actually goes in great detail about that (yes, I am reading through the Psalms, if you can't tell.) Again, these themes so Godly stay on the theme that God has been teaching me lately. And I have discovered another tiny gem in the process. You see, we think that marriage is the end all. It's like we've arrived when we finally get married and then are complete when the kids come. We spend all our single years in search for this. But I have recently come to realize that being 28 (that's my old age :)) and single is not that bad! As horrific as it is to the world that I am 28, un-married, child-less, and without some booming career...I actually find it to be such a gift. And why you might ask? Don't I want to be married? Sure, I do, someday. I've always been attracted to a husband and kids. My desire has simply been to be a house-wife. However, I see all that I have accomplished that I wouldn't have done otherwise, simply by being single. I got to go to Africa this summer, with my greatest worry only being of leaving my pups alone and missing my boyfriend for a bit. I get to take off with YL kids, I get to have long quiet times, I get to go and work-out whenever I want, I get to head to the beach and just have a date with Jesus without having to answer to anyone. Now maybe I am more free-spirited and independent than most. Understandable. However, I feel that we all need to realize, MARRIED AND UN-MARRIED ALIKE, that our purpose of being here is not about getting married. In fact, marriage, if not done the Godly way, tends to ruin our example of Jesus to the world. Our purpose of being here is to glorify God. And how do you do that? Well, if it's by marriage, then great. Be the greatest example of Christ uniting Himself to the church that the hurting world has ever seen. But if you don't know who you are in Christ before you get married, then I feel that you are in a whole heap of trouble. Marriage is hard enough without throwing that huge complication in the mix. You see, if you make finding your spouse your end all, and waste your single years not finding who you are in God, then I believe that you will wake up one day, after having gotten all that you thought that you wanted, and think, who am i? And that's what leads to people doing all kinds of crazy things to go and find that out. Now God can make good of any situation and I know that through marriage, we will discover more of who we are in God. However, we need to get the basis down before. I have unfortunately been surrounded by too many failed and troubled marriages to know what I am talking about and this seems to be the root cause. In fact, 2 younger friends of mine who loved each other deeply, just recently sacrificed one another and broke up so that they could go and do this very thing. They had begun dating right after they accepted Christ into their lives and had found themselves making one another their gods. So they made a mature decision and although it was painful, you can see God's hand all over it and they know that if they are meant to be, their marriage now will be that much stronger for this. But that is not their focus now. Discovering who they are in God is. So I encourage my single readers to do just that. Don't find out who you are, find out who you are in God! And to all my married friends, do your part in submitting to your husbands and pray for him and encourage him, even if it's tough, and I believe that God will honor your obedience. But even if your husband may not love you as he should, you have a heavenly Bride Groom who does! And you know what, when this earth vanishes, which it will in an instant, we will spend eternity in heaven and there is no marriage there...only to our Savior! So live on purpose today...And remember what our purpose of being here is! P.S. I am not dogging marriage. I know I miss out on a lot too by not being married. It's just that in this stage of my life, I want to enjoy where God has me and encourage others to do the same.