For so long I've heard the saying, "If I don't get married, I'll just grow up to be a cat lady." Somehow that translates to you'll never be loved and you'll die alone with your cats licking the remains. But I want to argue that being a cat lady is NOT a negative thing. In fact, it's great. It's okay to be single. Some people might argue that it's even better to be single than to be in a relationship, just maybe not during tax season.
A lot of pressure is constantly being put on young adults to get a boyfriend/girlfriend and get married and then have kids. This pressure is coming from parents, relatives, society and even friends. Though it might seem like they're good intentions, it doesn't feel that way. Honestly, how are young adults supposed to get married now? More than half of us are still trying to figure out their own life and that's hard enough without throwing another person in the mix.
One of the most important consequences about being pressed to be in a relationship is that too often, when things are hurried, you can end up with the wrong person. I would much rather marry late in life to the right guy than to get married early to a man that isn't right for me. So what the heck, be a cat lady, or be a fish gentleman. Or a parakeet lady. It's perfectly fine to be single and it doesn't mean that you're loved any less. And from my experience cats may look down on humans but they love them without judgment. What more could you ask for?
Embrace it. Even Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 7 that it is better to be single. So shouldn't we be striving to be single? Isn't that what we should be pursuing? We should be pursuing Jesus, not a significant other. Because you'll know it's the right one when you're running so hard after Jesus and suddenly you find another person running at your pace after Him too. And yes, I'm single. So I understand that sometimes, a lot of times, it's hard. You want to settle because you're tired, tired of waiting, tired of guys acting like 12-year-old boys, tired of showing up to family functions alone, tired of being patient. Well, just be tired a little bit more, because it'll be worth it. The movies and novels write abut finding "your better half". But your better half isn't a guy. You won't instantly feel complete when you meet him because he can't complete you. In reality, that's a completely unrealistic pressure to put on a guy. The only man who can complete you by being your better half is Jesus.
So go ahead and buy that cat. Snuggle with it on the couch while you spend time with your better half. Because it's much better to have a cat and your better half, Jesus, than to have no cat and a guy who can't fulfill you.
