BY LARALOVE
“…He who is unmarried cares for the things of the Lord—how he may please the Lord. But he who is married cares about the things of the world—how he may please his wife. There is a difference between a wife and a virgin. The unmarried woman cares about the things of the Lord, that she may be holy both in body and in spirit. But she who is married cares about the things of the world—how she may please her husband. And this I say for your own profit, not that I may put a leash on you, but for what is proper, and that you may serve the Lord without distraction.” 1 Cor. 7:32-35
The last person in the world I ever would have guessed would end up LOVING LOVING LOVING singleness is myself. If you had known me during my decades of obsessiveness with men and with finding the right man and with loving the right man and with being loved by the right man not to mention the lengths to which I went to find the one who would be the love of my life, you would be utterly shocked at just where the Lord has brought me.
Oh, the blessedness of singleness! I have found the love of my life. I have found the right man. I have found the one whose love so far surpasses the love of any other that I can’t even fathom living any other life than the one to which He has called me. The life of being single on purpose for Christ Jesus my Lord. Oh, to love the Lord with all my heart! To be loved by the Lord is indescribably wonderful, immeasurably awesome, unfathomably beautiful.
There is a price to be paid for living the single life. The price of solitude. The price of being alone. The price of not having an intimate companion in human form to share with, to love with, to give to, to receive from, to hold hands with, to fall asleep with, to wake up with, to call, to listen to, to pray for, to be prayed for by, to make decisions with, to travel with, to share burdens with, to create family with, to be family with, to grow old with, to cry with, to laugh with, to go out with, to stay in with, to share chores with, to grieve with, to grieve for, to have compassion for, to be cared by, to care for, to hug, to hold, to kiss, to be held by, to embrace and to be embraced by, to go new places with, to return to old places with, to share holidays with, and oh, how I could go on and on.
But none of this, absolutely not a single ounce of this price to be paid in living the single life for Christ, can possibly compare with the absolutely awesomeness of being in Christ’s presence day and night, of ever growing in intimacy with God, of ever growing in His image, of ever being refined by Him, and of being prepared by Him, of being used by Him, of being available to Him day and night as His daughter, as His bride, as His servant, of being in His company continually, of communing with Him continually, of hearing His voice so exquisitely, so regularly, of not being distracted and consumed with a life partner, of being able day and night to be used by Him as His little vessel to love others, to help others, to encourage others, to share the Gospel with others, to serve others, to pray for others, to support others, to aid others in believing in and forever following the Lord Jesus Christ. Oh, such joy, such joy, such joy! The blessedness of singleness – for Christ – oh my!
If there is anything I didn’t want in life, it was to be single. And here I am. Single for Jesus. By God’s choice. For God’s glory. Knowing the rewards He has already given me in consecrating myself to Him, of choosing to be His 24-7 rather than another’s, are nothing compared with the rewards He will bestow upon me in heaven. The greatest reward of all. Himself. And of being entirely His!
The single life for Christ is not for everyone. But for those of us it is for, the Lord will give us the strength we need, the love we desire, absolutely everything we need to walk day by day through this life without a human romantic companion, knowing there is no companion anyway that even comes close to the one who is forever. Than to Jesus. Than to Christ. Than to the Lord! AMEN!
If you are single, perhaps it’s for a season. Perhaps it’s for the rest of your life. Place your heart and life in the hands of the Lord and let Him decide. And trust Him to provide all that you need from day to day, from hour to hour, from breath to breath, right down to this very breath you are taking now in reading this.
Give yourself utterly to Jesus. And let Him lead you forth. In His love. By His grace. For His blessed glory. AMEN!