Why Am I Single?نموونە

Devotion: The Reason You Are Single

Dating is great. But dating can be distracting. Just think about this for a moment. Have you ever tried to listen to the Word of God being preached while sitting next to someone to whom you’re attracted? It’s not easy. So God, in his mercy, has given you this gift called singleness as he is doing his work within you. He wants your undivided attention.

Your relationship with God matters far more than anything else in this life, and this season of singleness is an optimal time for you to build a strong foundation of faith and purpose in your devotion to him. God has ordained this season of singleness so you can focus entirely on the One who made you and has called you to whole-heartedly serve him. Some of the things God wants to grow in you are designed to happen best during the single season of your life.

In 1 Corinthians 7:32–34, Paul explains how singleness provides you with liberty from the anxieties and stresses of marriage. When you get married, your financial, emotional, and social responsibilities increase exponentially. Now, none of this is bad in and of itself, but it is heavy, and it is stressful. It’s a lot to manage. And it can be distracting.

There is power available to you in your singleness. You can make plans without having to ask somebody. You can just go where you like, be with whom you want, and spend your money as you see fit—all on a whim. You can explore the opportunities God puts in your path freely. But this is not nearly as easy for the married—or even the dating. There are many more hoops to jump through, details to evaluate, and people to consider. It’s exhausting and time-consuming.

Let me assure you that I am not down on the institution of marriage. I love being married! I love being a dad! I would not trade the season of life I am in for anything. But I want to stress the encumbrances of marriage to save you from a danger that is so easy for people in all different stages of life to fall into. There is a tendency in each of us to downplay the benefits of our particular stage in life and amplify the benefits of another.

The single person pines away for the intimacy of the married season of life. The married man or woman romanticizes the freedoms they enjoyed as a single person. I do not want you to fall into that trap. I don’t want you to miss out on all the things you have access to in your single years that you may not have when you’re married. I don’t want you to miss the benefits of now because you’re fixated on the benefits of then.

This season of singleness is a gift from God, and he has reason why you are in it. So, instead of looking around at what you don’t have, focus on what you do have. And what you have right now is focused time with God to build and develop your relationship with him.

Respond

What are some distractions right now that are keeping you from focusing on God’s priorities for your life and the lives of the people you want to impact?

How can building a relationship with God in the present affect your relationships with people in the future? What benefits do you enjoy as a single person that a married person does not have?

How can you not miss out on what God has for your season of singleness? How can living for now help you do this?