Everywhere you look, there are couples. Dating couples. Engaged couples. Married couples. Snuggling, handholding, arm-in-arm, kissing, giggling, googly-eyed couples. It’s enough to make you gag a little bit, isn’t it? But we know Scripturally that marriage is a good thing blessed by God.
If it’s so great, though, why is half the population single?
While some who are single are wondering the same thing, there are other singles who look at marriage and say, “No thank you! Not interested! Not a gift I’m shopping for!” Those who think that way are often asked, “What’s wrong with you?” Not a very nice question, is it? Others too polite to ask are still thinking it. And the single person might be tempted to ask the same thing. “What’s wrong with me?”
The answer is – nothing!
Today is National Singles Day which originated in the Buckeye Capital of Ohio, Columbus, in 1980. “Not everyone is part of a power couple. The day celebrates the unique qualities and opportunities [of singles] to network with ingenuity and independence.”1
In her book Let Me Be a Woman, Elisabeth Elliot discusses the gift of singleness. She writes, “Having now spent more than forty-one years single, I have learned that it is indeed a gift. Not one I would choose. Not one many women would choose. But we do not choose our gifts, remember? We are given them by a divine Giver who knows the end from the beginning, and wants above all else to give us the gift of Himself.”2
Is singleness really a gift from God? According to Paul, the answer is YES, and it is a very good gift. 1 Corinthians 7:7-8 says, “For I would that all men were even as I
myself. But every man hath his proper gift of God, one after this manner, and another after that. (8) I say therefore to the unmarried and widows, It is good for them if they abide even as I.” What makes singleness so “good?”
Reading through the rest of 1 Corinthians 7, Paul said that married couples have trouble (v. 28). That means they have stress, distress, and tribulations. And all God’s married people say – AMEN! In marriage, we are caught up in the cares of a spouse and cannot singly focus on the things of the Lord. (v. 32-35) This is not a bad or improper thing. In fact, it’s the way it should be.
But if you are single, you can give your extra time to the Lord. Specifically, Paul says “that ye may attend upon the Lord without distraction.” (v. 35) This makes singleness a wonderful gift.
If you are single, you are not dysfunctional, strange, or broken. You are just fine the way you are. If God has marriage in the plans for your life, WAIT on Him to bring that special person in your life. Don’t try to manipulate the situation. There are things far worse in life than being single and one of those is to be married to the wrong person.
But, if God has granted you the gift of singleness, rejoice in it knowing that this is God’s perfect will for you, and He has great things in store for you.
For those of us who are married, let’s never treat singles like they are lesser vessels in the Lord’s work. You say, “Yeah, but they don’t have what we’ve got.” You’re right. They don’t have trouble, stress, and the headaches that accompany marriages. They don’t have to solely focus on a spouse’s needs. Woe is them, huh?
Don’t get me wrong. Marriage IS a wonderful gift. All married people had better say AMEN! But, singleness is a great gift, too.
Each person is placed in the family of God for GOD’s good pleasure. Let’s never forget that and, dear single person, God takes great pleasure in you. Revelation 4:11 says, “Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things (that includes you), and for thy pleasure they are and were created.”
1https://www.nationaldaycalendar.com/national-day/national-singles-day-saturday-of-singles-week-2
2https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/the-good-unwanted-gift-of-singleness
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