Here's the Reason Why You're Single...
Imagine it... I know that we all can picture this... Rushing towards the Christmas tree on Christmas morning. Opening presents. Wrapping paper flying everywhere. You think to yourself, "what am I going to get?! What am I going to get?! What did Santa leave for me?"
Now imagine that as you pull the wrapping paper off of one of your gifts, you see someone else getting something that you think is really amazing, beautiful, fun, and incredible. Then you see your gift and your heart sinks. You feel your throat tighten and you don't think your gift is that great. Can I exchange it? Can I have what he/she has instead of this?
We end up wanting to loose our gift because it seems boring and kind of useless...
And many of us feel this way towards our singleness.
It sounds so cliche when someone (usually someone married (hindsight is 20/20) tells us that singleness is a gift. And frankly sometimes we get sick of hearing that. I know we push off the 'ugh' feeling we get when we think of our relationship status. We ignore it, hoping it will go away. And yet this is the worst thing we can do. Don't shove it under the carpet and try to forget about it. Something came to mind today...
So this is Paul's personal view - that it is good to be single, for... "...those who marry will
face many troubles in this life, and I want to spare you this." So it is good to be single. And it is good to be married. "But if you do marry, you have not sinned;" 1 Cor. 7:28.
When married, your ministry is your family, your husband/wife, your children. When single, your ministry is God's Kingdom. A pretty incredible calling if you ask me. So Paul was single - and he changed the world by bringing the Gospel to the Gentiles which, hello, equals you and me. Guess who was also single? Jesus. Enough said.
There's good to both. And there's trials to both. In singleness, your trials may be that you're a little lonely, a little lost, or longing for the next season in your life. (btw, what a terrible way to waste the years and time God has given us by wishing for another season in our life.) Because marriage is beautiful and wonderful but comes with its share of problems as well - problems that come from our single years and then are magnified when married.
What a privilege to be fully committed in devotion to the Lord - what a privilege to have your only ministry be God's Kingdom, not have your time and commitments split between family and the Kingdom. This is the reason why you're single. You'll never have more time for God's Kingdom than you do now. And for most of us our singleness is just a season. So use this season and this time instead of wishing this gift away.
If you want to dive deeper or hear some of my inspiration behind this post, please take the time to watch this sermon below. It changed my outlook and I hope it changes yours too!
Now imagine that as you pull the wrapping paper off of one of your gifts, you see someone else getting something that you think is really amazing, beautiful, fun, and incredible. Then you see your gift and your heart sinks. You feel your throat tighten and you don't think your gift is that great. Can I exchange it? Can I have what he/she has instead of this?
We end up wanting to loose our gift because it seems boring and kind of useless...
And many of us feel this way towards our singleness.
It sounds so cliche when someone (usually someone married (hindsight is 20/20) tells us that singleness is a gift. And frankly sometimes we get sick of hearing that. I know we push off the 'ugh' feeling we get when we think of our relationship status. We ignore it, hoping it will go away. And yet this is the worst thing we can do. Don't shove it under the carpet and try to forget about it. Something came to mind today...
I feel that God wants to hear our argument rather than our silence.
Talk to Him honestly - say, "I don't get it. I don't like it. But use it because I don't know how... I don't understand why, but there is a reason, because You are orchestrating it. Because You say so... I will take the next step." If we speak honestly with our Father, even if we're confused or angry, often times we'll end up tearfully leaning on our Father and He holds us - there's no place He would rather have us than in His arms. It's far better than silence when we avoid speaking to Him because we feel like we can't come to Him. So go to Him and speak what's on your heart.
Is singleness truly a gift? Is there a way we can use it instead of hoping to loose it? Sometimes we believe it's a gift only because it's been said to us. But to truly grasp it, understand it, and believe it for ourselves, take a look at 1 Corinthians 7:6-8
"I say this as a concession, not as a command. I wish that all of you were as I am. But each of you has your own gift from God; one has this gift, another has that. Now to the unmarried and the widows I say: it is good for them to stay unmarried, as I do."
An unmarried woman or
virgin is concerned about the Lord’s affairs: Her aim is to be devoted
to the Lord in both body and spirit. But a married woman is concerned about the affairs of this world—how she can please her husband. I am saying this for your own good, not to restrict you, but that you may live in a right way in undivided devotion to the Lord. 1 Cor. 7:34-35
When married, your ministry is your family, your husband/wife, your children. When single, your ministry is God's Kingdom. A pretty incredible calling if you ask me. So Paul was single - and he changed the world by bringing the Gospel to the Gentiles which, hello, equals you and me. Guess who was also single? Jesus. Enough said.
There's good to both. And there's trials to both. In singleness, your trials may be that you're a little lonely, a little lost, or longing for the next season in your life. (btw, what a terrible way to waste the years and time God has given us by wishing for another season in our life.) Because marriage is beautiful and wonderful but comes with its share of problems as well - problems that come from our single years and then are magnified when married.
What a privilege to be fully committed in devotion to the Lord - what a privilege to have your only ministry be God's Kingdom, not have your time and commitments split between family and the Kingdom. This is the reason why you're single. You'll never have more time for God's Kingdom than you do now. And for most of us our singleness is just a season. So use this season and this time instead of wishing this gift away.
If God's not enough for you now, He's not going to be enough for you then.
Trust the Giver, because He gives good gifts to His children.
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