If you're that young single woman who sees an engagement post on her Facebook feed at least once a week, congratulations! You're in a pretty crappy place in life. It's the holiday season, so that makes things doubly crappy. Some might call that pessimistic, but I think it's just the truth.
Your girlfriend goes out and finds the perfect wedding dress, and you're sitting in your 8AM class wearing the same sweater for the third day in a row. Your childhood bestie and her fiancee always talk about how in love they are, and you can't even get your cat to snuggle with you. That girl you do everything with has a huge rock on her perfectly manicured nails, and your hands look like little stumps. It's a constant comparison of you and every engaged person you know. It seems like it can't be helped. You're surrounded by wedding plans and photos and brunches and, worst of all, love. The very last thing you want to do is think about love. Being single when all your friends are engaged sucks. I'm not here to tell you it doesn't. If I tell you that "someday your prince will come", then I'm playing God, because I don't know what will happen to you, or me, or anyone else.
But, as much as this season of life sucks, you can still gain something invaluable from it.
I believe that God created marriage as a symbol of His unconditional, redeeming love for us. When two people enter into the covenant of marriage, they promise to put the other person's needs before their own and to be devoted to them in spite of their shortcomings. Now, think about your engaged friends and their husbands-to-be. As much as you love them, they all have shortcomings. She talks a little too loudly and he doesn't speak up when he should. He's super messy and she's obsessively clean. They both forget to apologize, but when they do, it's never with much eloquence.
All these faults might seem to be deal-breakers for a relationship, but, as cheesy as it sounds, love can conquer any sin or shortcoming in our lives.
Love does two things: It takes a broken person and reconciles them to God and it takes two broken people and reconciles them to each other. The good news is, you don't have to be in a relationship, engaged or married to experience this amazing, restorative love. It can be found in friendships, mentorships and families. This supernatural love is so powerful that it can even be found in strangers. That's right, you don't even have to know someone to love them wholly if you have God's love in your heart. That is a power that no one can take from you. You have to choose to harness love and use it in your everyday day life; no one can make you. But, I promise that if you choose love, you'll never regret it. You will find fulfillment in your singleness, meaningful relationships, and a newfound perspective on all your engaged friends.
