So, what did I learn exactly? Lots. But one thing I haven't been able to forget occurred during a conversation with my new friend J. She and I talked alot about singleness. What it means, the challenges, how we both desire to be married one day, the characteristics we would desire in a future spouse, etc. It was all good stuff to talk about with someone who is clearly thinking on the same wavelengths as I am.
One afternoon, during free time, we were chilling on some porch swings in the chilly sun. And I was mentioning to her that I wanted to go through the whole Bible and find things that pertained to single people. Confession: I've never read the whole Bible. I'm pretty lazy about it, actually (there's one of those lessons creeping in!). So, in response to my comment, J says, "Yeah, I mean, the Bible doesn't really have a whole lot of stuff relating to singleness."
That simple statement hit me hard. Yes, it is good to read the whole Bible. To know the character of God and to understand how He cares for us (the cross, people!). But if there really isn't a whole lot on singleness, I was thinking: maybe our focus is completely wrong.
Maybe it's a struggle, but we shouldn't be so caught up in our singleness and how hard it is that we forget our purpose. Our purpose, as a creation and imitation of God is to live solely to glorify Him and further the kingdom. Singleness does make an impact. Right now, in our lives, we can serve and glorify God better than if we were married. So, later, holding out on what God has placed as desires in our hearts to be married, we will glorify him as being a reflection of the church and Christ.
All of these things served to encourage me in my singleness. It helped me to refocus how I've been living and define how I should be living. What a powerful weekend. I'll post more things that God is showing me as I process through my thoughts a bit more. What a powerful way to start the new year!
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