I am single. Some days, I feel like being single is a blessing. Some days, I am content. Other days (oh! those other days!), I feel like being single is a curse, a punishment, and the absolute worse thing a person could have to endure.
Being single—despite thinking it is sometimes—is not a curse and it is not something I can “fix.” Being single is not a problem that needs to be resolved…it is a season to be embraced. During this time I have learned to embrace being alone. (And when I say alone, I mean the absence of another person.) I’ve learned much about myself and being alone (although, I fought at first) has pushed me closer to God. I have learned to rely on Him in ways I don’t think I would learned without this season of singleness.
This burning desire to be married and have my own family can consume me at times, if left unchecked. After all, it is not wrong to want a family. However, the Lord has taught me much about maintaining the proper priority when it comes to desires. This unsatisfied desire has allowed me to thirst for the Lord more.
O God, you are my God; I earnestly search for You;
my whole body longs for You in this parched and weary land where there is no water.
Psalm 63:1
I am learning to search for the Lord when my despair over my singleness is overwhelming.
- Not people.
- Not my single friends who agree with the unfairness of singleness.
- Not my well-meaning married friends who, lovingly, speak out one or all of the many given lines available about how waiting is “sooooo” worth it.
My soul clings to You; Your right hand upholds me.
Psalm 63:8
The Lord is the only one who can wrap me in His loving arms and make everything better. Some nights I cry to Him—literally cry—and He always reassures me that He has a plan…an awesome plan.
Regardless of whether you are in a season (a LONG season) of singleness, or infertility, or financial struggle, or health issues…let Him quench your thirst, your desire, whatever it may be.
He can.
* * * * *
Thank you, Lord, that I am given the opportunity each day to know that You are God—the God…the God that has the plan…the God that is holding my hand…the God that is leading me along the path of life that is before me….the good God who does not cause adverse circumstances and who does punish or bring us trials…the good God who says I can walk you through anything life brings your way, if you’ll only trust me…the good God who provides us with all we need to be more than conquers…the good God who shows us there IS a “happily-ever-after.” Ultimately, regardless of our current situations, we win. (And how can we lose, when we’ve already won.) Thank You, Lord. In Jesus’ name, amen.
