Revel in being single
Photo: April Wefler
In this world, we are always rushing to the next thing. The next big idea, the next iPhone, the next step on the career ladder. We rush to finish school, to leave home, to buy a house and make something of ourselves.
Many young people in particular will rush towards relationships and then to marriage, driven by societal expectations to find a mate and fall in love so as to not suffer the lonely fate of a spinster.
Every season brings with it a lesson and passing the test after each lesson better equips and positions you for the next season. Instead of rushing, take the time to enjoy your life and to especially find contentment in being single.
When it was time for Isaac to marry (Genesis 24:15-24,) his father thought it wise to get a wife for his son from among the people of God. There was no way he was going to let his son yoke with an unbeliever, and it is evident that Rebecca knew the Lord because during her pregnancy with Esau and Jacob, she sought Him to know what was going on in her womb. The servant chosen to find a wife for Isaac prayed that whoever gave both he and his camel water would be the one for Isaac.
If the woman was not used to coming to the well with camels and ensuring they had something to drink, she would've never passed the test. Rebecca was busy going about her father's business, acquiring the skills she would need to pass the test, without ever once realising her doing so would lead to greater things. When we serve the Lord in our single years wholeheartedly, it is difficult for us to be distracted by every wind of doctrine.
However, many young people will often be in church, but not in Christ. They come to church and do everything they can to be noticed, then return home to their own will. Although we will struggle with issues while in Christ, it is vastly different than struggling with all issues without Him.
The Bible admonishes us to submit to God and let Him direct us, like Rebecca submitted to her father. In doing so, she effortlessly passed the test with no thoughts of marriage distracting her. Simply being hospitable and willing to love as she had been loved, Rebecca was met with a proposal that was aligned with her destiny. She was adopted into a family of promise and her life was never the same. Others, like Daniel, Esther, Joseph and Samuel were also content in being single when their lives were changed drastically.
In your single years, don't get distracted. Focus on pleasing God and relying on His help and grace to be what he has called you to be. Despite worldly belief, being single is a gift. Cherish it and let God mould you into his image day by day.
