Hello everyone. I want to start today off with three short verses from the Bible about singleness from the Apostle Paul. As always please feel free to read this chapter for yourself in its entirety and make up your own minds.
1 Corinthians 7:8, 32, 34 AMP "But I say to the unmarried and to the widows, (that as a practical matter) it is good if they remain (single and entirely devoted to the Lord) as I am...The unmarried man is concerned about the things of the Lord...the unmarried woman is concerned about the matters of the Lord..."
After being single, then married, then widowed and single again for 2 years, I am beginning to see Paul's point. I was concerned about many things as a married woman that simply do not concern me now. I am free to do as I need to do. I dealt with many things as a married woman that I simply don't have to deal with anymore. There is a freedom (not without adult responsibility) that is a part of singleness.
Now don't get me wrong. I have no problem at all with the institute of marriage, afterall God designed it. I may one day remarry myself, I have not closed that door. I'll see where God and life takes me. I am content with who I am and where I am and I have some life goals of my own I am pursuing.
What bothers me and why I see Paul's point even clearer is when I see people disrespect their wives or husbands or significant others behind their backs. I overheard a conversation yesterday at lunch (mostly because they were talking very loudly) that was a whole lot of drama and I thought to myself, 'perhaps Paul had a point in being single, I don't have any of that to worry about and I don't have to worry about the most important person in my life talking negatively about me behind my back.'
I believe no relationships are perfect because people aren't perfect. If you are just now reading my blogs, go back a few weeks and you will see that mine was far from perfect. My recently published book, The Road Less Traveled: A Story of Love, Hope, Pain and Everything in Between will also demonstrate that. What I learned from overhearing that conversation yesterday was that these two people weren't happy nor content and that was very sad to me. Instead of dealing with the issues in their marriages/relationships, they were gossiping to each other behind their partners' backs. And yes I have been the one gossiping instead of facing the problem head on because I didn't know what to do, perhaps like these two people today - like I said, none of us are perfect or always do the right thing.
Everyone has their own story and their own path that God has for them. For some that will include life-long marriage. For others that will include life-long singleness and others are still figuring out what that means. I would like to encourage everyone to seek out what God wants for you and don't take Paul's advice too lightly. If you have never been married and you want to marry, seek God's best for you and listen to the wise counsel of those who are married. If you have been married before and are widowed or divorced, and want to remarry, seek God's counsel and that of wise friends and learn from the past, however, don't stay in the past. Keep living life to the full!
If you are widowed, divorced or like being single and don't choose to marry for the 1st time or every again, guess what? God still has a plan for you and a purpose, no matter what the rest of society, your friends, your family or your church thinks you should or shouldn't do. Seek out His purpose and plan for your life. We are meant to live our life, not someone else's. We are meant to walk our path, not someone else's. As Paul said, there is no shame in singleness. You live your life to the full and love fiercely!
So what do you think of Paul's advice? I welcome any comments or thoughts, agreements or disagreements.
Loving fiercely and living life,
Elizabeth