Why Am I Single?Намуна

Seize the Day

Back in my mid-twenties when I was single, I visited the country of Venezuela. We had a young man showing us around who spoke in impeccable English. When I asked where he had learned to become so proficient in English, his answer surprised me. He said, “I learned it by listening to the radio. I would just sit and listen to the radio—and I taught myself English.” I remember thinking, Now, that is a guy who knows how to maximize his time!

In the book of Genesis, we read how Adam named a ton of animals while he was a single guy. You can get a lot done in your singleness—as long as you pursue an undistracted devotion to the Lord. Unfortunately, many single people today are filling up their time with distractions, walking in circles around opportunities God has designed for them to fulfill.

It makes me crazy when I read statistics about the way people today are spending their time. According to one study, by the time the average person is twenty-one, he or she has spent 10,000 hours playing video games. It takes half that amount of time to earn your bachelor’s degree! If playing video games represents such a regular part of your life, you have to ask if you are missing the bigger story around you.

The world is on fire today with war, slavery, injustice, and crippling poverty. We need real heroes to rise up and use their gifts for the glory of God and the good of humanity. What we don’t need is a generation of young people saving fantasy worlds on a screen. We don’t need more people spending the bulk of their free time at the gym. Don’t get me wrong, being healthy is great. It allows you to accomplish the priorities in your life. But it isn’t the priority.

Being at the gym can be an opportunity to minister to the needs of those who are seeking fulfillment by building an image they think gives them an edge. As a single person, you can use gym time to show Jesus to those who feel empty. You can show them that they are important to God. You can help them see they don’t have to gain approval to be loved.

The year I got married, a massive tsunami hit the coast of Thailand, killing almost a quarter million people. As I watched the tragedy unfold on the news, I called up a good friend and asked, “Did you hear about the tsunami?” He said, “Yeah, I’m going.” And I replied, “I knew it.”

I knew it because he was a guy who had flexibility with work. So he thought, You know what? I’m young and single, and there’s a place with a massive humanitarian crisis. I’m going. I had just gotten married and we didn’t have much money, so I couldn’t go. I remember admiring his decision and thinking, That’s something his singleness affords him.

Today, follow the words of David and “taste and see that the LORD is good” (Psalm 34:8). Choose to view your singleness as an opportunity rather than a detriment. Make the decision to seize the day—and then see what God will do in and through you!

Respond

What opportunities have you seen that only you could fill—using your talents, availability, and resources? How did you respond?

How can you better leverage your time and gifts for God’s glory and the good of humanity?

What can you do to seize today for the Lord? How will these experiences help you “taste and see that the LORD is good”?