Being single sometimes really isn’t fun. You see couples sharing a Bible at church, holding hands as they walk through a park, laughing in the car together, and an assortment of other things. Don’t get me wrong I know God has someone amazing picked out for me, but for a gal who struggles daily with patience this is painful!
As I’ve been meditating on this for awhile (and trying an assortment of odd ways to meet someone) God continues to remind me that He’s so much bigger than my small desires. I’m incredibly blessed in this season of my life (albeit longer than I desire) and so frequently I forget to be thankful for all that I get to do. I get to sit outside, watch the sunset and thank God for the reminder to praise Him for all the ways I was protected that day. I get to have a cup of coffee with a friend and share life together. I have constant opportunities to serve and encourage others.
Please don’t misunderstand, I know you can do all of these things when you’re “plus one,” but being single allows me to do things on a whim and not have to check my schedule.
Colossians 3:12-17 has become a mantra lately, reminding me that God is still working on me. It says “Therefore, God’s chosen ones, holy and loved, put on heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, accepting one another and forgiving one another if anyone has a complaint against another. Just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you must also forgive. Above all, put on love—the perfect bond of unity. And let the peace of the Messiah, to which you were also called in one body, control your hearts. Be thankful. Let the message about the Messiah dwell richly among you, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, and singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, with gratitude in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or in deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.”
I’m constantly reminded that through my struggles with being single, God gets to utilize me. I’m able to drop everything to go help a neighbor, and because I don’t have a family, I have more time to spend serving others. I get to take the random road trips and meet some incredible people who teach and grow me. I get to say ‘yes’ when someone asks if I have time to do something without checking other schedules.
More important than my independence are God’s constant reminders that I get to live my life for Him. I get to be more than a stubborn, independent, single female. I get to be one of God’s incredible creations put on earth to share His love.