If you’re like me, you’re sitting at your computer right now scrolling through social media or reading the latest BuzzFeed article. And if you’re even more like me, you’re probably scrolling past the gross pictures of couples or gooey status updates about how that person is “so in love,” and thinking gross, gross, gross… but really, you’re secretly jealous. This is the single life.
A professor of mine once told my class that some people are given the gift of singleness for a set amount of time, and others are blessed with the gift of singleness for their whole lives. Singleness is a gift? Really? Really.
You see, singleness is actually a pretty great time. A lot of people pride themselves on how great they feel when they are single. You get all the freedom to do whatever you want, you have more money to spend on yourself, and you get more time with your cat. All those things are great, but people forget the most important thing about being single. God uses the single times in our lives to grow us closer to Him, to better serve Him. Some people are blessed with singleness for their whole lives so they can better serve God. Some people are blessed with singleness only for a short time, so they can better serve God with someone else.
There’s a lot of pressure sometimes to hurry up and get that ring by spring. Pressure from family, pressure from the media, and even pressure from your friends. When did it become so important to have a romantic relationship? Is it really the most important thing that could be going on in your life? No. It’s not the most important thing. You may not be ready for a romantic relationship, and that is totally okay.
Let me pose another question…who cares what other people think? It’s your life and God has a plan for it. His plan may or may not include a spouse. And you know what? That’s totally okay, too.
But how do you actually spend your time when you’re single? In 1 Corinthians, Paul tells us to do absolutely everything for the glory of God. That means every action you take, every word you speak, should glorify God. Go to your Bible to learn what glorifies God. Spending time in prayer with God is just as important. Open your ears and be patient.
The most important thing in life is your relationship with God. That should always be your first priority. The gift of singleness is His to give and His to take away. God knows best. He really does. So maybe being single isn’t so bad after all.