“Why is such a nice person like you still single?” “Once you learn to be content, God will bring you a spouse.” “She’s so pretty, I wonder why she’s not dating?” “There’s no question why he’s not married!” Have you heard some of these comments before, or perhaps even made them yourself? A subtle but …
Scripture on Singleness
Removing the Hindrances from Singleness
Many view singleness as a limitation rather than an advantage. I’d say it’s a fairly common perspective among Christians and non-Christians alike. It’s funny how we collectively forget that Jesus was single, and certainly nothing held Him back. And we forget that the second most prominent character of the New Testament was also single, the …
False Assumptions, Part I
The other day I happened to notice several Christian romance novels on my bookshelf that have somehow survived my ruthless disposals of what I’ve considered worthless reads. I turned one over to read the description on the back cover, and once again realized why I’ve abandoned reading most romantic Christian fiction. It read: The straight-laced …
False Assumptions, Part II
In Part I, we looked at five false assumptions we tend to have regarding marriage and singleness. We stated, “If our expectations for marriage are based on false assumptions, they will become a tyrant in our lives, controlling our emotions, coloring our perspective, and eventually leaving us disillusioned, disappointed, and — worst of all — …
Complete as One
I had someone tell me years ago that one is not complete without a spouse. It made me wonder: How do I, and other single adults, gain a sense of confidence and self-worth in a society that believes such a statement to be true? Many people believe they cannot truly live until they find their …
Delivered From All My Fears
Jeannie found herself staring at the digital numbers on her alarm clock once again. The luminous red lines forming the numbers which indicated it was three in the morning looked all too familiar. It seemed that her fears had no respect for her need for sleep, or the fact that in a few short hours …
God’s Perspective of Singleness
By Myron Horst We see things in our life from a narrow perspective, and it is often difficult for us to understand all that God is allowing to happen. Someone standing ten feet behind us can see a much bigger perspective than we can. They can see things we can’t. They can also see some …
Man’s Research Versus God’s Word
“Oh, great,”, I thought. “Another piece of research touted by the Christian community in an attempt to shore up the crumbling institution of marriage.” It’s not that I was doubting the motive for quoting such research in the Christian magazine I was reading. I know all too well that the institution of marriage is in deep …
Singleness: A Blessing or a Curse?
I used to think that singleness was about the worst lot in life a person could have. I don’t think it helped that I read every Christian romance novel I could get my hands on. It all seemed so wonderful that I couldn’t imagine what an awful thing it would be to end up…single! After …
Needs, Desires and God’s Promises
By Fern Horst “Delight thyself also in the LORD: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.” “But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” (Psalm 37:4 and Phillipians 4:19) Who could ask for more assurance than these statements from God’s Word itself regarding …
If Singleness and Marriage are Gifts, Why Wasn’t I Given One?
A lovely woman in her mid-fifties, she sat across from me in the coffee shop, her hands resting lightly in her lap. She sat poised as one confident about her life. But her words revealed an inner turmoil. “I know I don’t have the gift of singleness!” she was saying. “My pastor says if I …
If Singleness and Marriage are Gifts, Why Wasn’t I Given One?Read More
Our Longings, God’s Fulfillment
We have many God-given longings that we’d like to have fulfilled. We often think that they can be fulfilled only by another human being. While God does use other humans to demonstrate love to us, He also wants to fulfill these longings with Himself. Consider these Words from Scripture as you identify your personal longings …