Single and Not Sorry: Devotions of Real Encouragement for Right NowПримерок

Singleness Is a Gift

I wish that all people were as I am. But each has his own gift from God, one person has this gift, another has that.

I CORINTHIANS 7:7 CSB

The Apostle Paul, one of the heroes of the Christian faith and the author of thirteen New Testament books, was just as single as you and I. He penned letters of his miraculous testimony—how he went from being a persecutor of Christians to a preacher of the gospel. In today’s verse, we see that Paul actually told the church in Corinth that singleness was a gift. As a matter of fact, he wishes that more people were single like him! For many of us, the idea that singleness is a gift feels radical and uneasy. You might long for a relationship, for marriage and a family, and that’s okay. Your singleness can still be a gift while you simultaneously pray to exchange this gift for marriage in the future. While you are single, however, there is a celebration to be found.

Paul writes later in I Corinthians 7 that one of the benefits of this gift is that we can be focused on the Lord (see v. 35). What if we use this season of singleness to narrow our focus, connecting more with God and deepening our relationship with Him? The gift of singleness provides us with the mental and emotional capacity to commit our hearts to prayer, worship, and time spent with God. What if we reframe our days and our activities as opportunities to spend time with Him? Reframing singleness as a gift ultimately brings us closer to the Gift Giver and helps us focus on the beauty of this season, no matter how long it lasts.

Right Now Reminder:

Your singleness is a gift. Part of this gift is the opportunity to focus more on your relationship with the Lord. He loves you so much and He is ready and waiting to connect with you.