Read Philippians 14:11b-13, 1 Corinthians 7:32-34Valentine's Day is rapidly approaching. For some girls, this day brings excitement and romance as they celebrate love with their significant other. However, for the rest of the teenage girl population, Valentine's Day is downright depressing. Even if you spend the day with friends or family members or plan some spectacular outing, you just can't get away from the fact that you're single. You see all of the seemingly happy girls out on dates with their seemingly perfect boyfriends, and if you're honest, it makes you downright jealous. I remember a local coffee shop near Baylor that renamed Valentine's Day as "SAD." The acronym stood for "Single Awareness Day," a pretty accurate description of the way many people view this holiday!
I want to get one thing straight right now, ladies. Singleness is not a disease! I say this jokingly, but it is honestly how most of us view being single. We see being single as a wholly undesirable state that we're dying to be cured of as soon as possible. I want you to know that if you are single, this is simply God's will and calling for you right now. I'm not saying that it will always be God's plan for you to be single, but at this point in your life, He's calling you to singleness.
So what is the godly response to this? If God is calling you to be single during this particular period in your life, you need to realize that He knows what's best for you. In your eyes there is probably no reason why you should remain boyfriend-less while your other friends go out on hot dates. However, your knowledge is limited and you can't comprehend God's overarching plan for you! Remember that God knows you better than you know yourself, and he knows what you need and exactly when you need it. Complaining over your current singleness reveals a lack of faith in God's perfect timing.
If God has called you to be single at this current time in your life, you need to learn to be content with that singleness. Listen to Paul's words in Philippians 14:11b-13, "for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength." Isn't this the attitude we should have toward being single? If God is enough for us, if His grace is sufficient for us, and if His love is unconditional, where else in the world can we go for fulfillment and satisfaction? All the love that we need is right in His arms.
Stop striving for the next stage of life and be content with the place that God has for you right here, right now. This is a unique time in your life where you can be totally devoted to the Lord. Listen to the unique benefits of being single described by Paul in 1 Corinthians 7:32-34, "I would like you to be free from concern. An unmarried man is concerned about the Lord's affairs—how he can please the Lord. But a married man is concerned about the affairs of this world—how he can please his wife— and his interests are divided. An unmarried woman or virgin is concerned about the Lord's affairs: Her aim is to be devoted to the Lord in both body and spirit. But a married woman is concerned about the affairs of this world—how she can please her husband." At this point in your life as an unmarried and single gal, you are able to have an undivided heart for the Lord. Use this time to grow more intimately in love with Christ and practice wholehearted devotion to Him. Don't waste your single years feeling sorry for yourself, but instead use them to bring Him glory.
I know you may think it's easy for me to tell you to be content with singleness when I'm married (to the most amazing man on the planet I might add...), but you've got to know that it has not always been that way. Until I met Lee at the end of college (I was 21), I had never had a boyfriend or a Valentine! I had spent so much time longing to be with a great guy and asking God to bring him to me. I had a lot of lonely Valentine's days! It wasn't until I was 21 that I finally gave up and simply told God that I didn't even care if I got married anymore. For the first point in my life, I could honestly say that I was content with the Lord alone and didn't care what He had in store for me. I would follow Him wherever He wanted me to go, whether that meant being married or not. Shortly after that point, God brought me the most incredible guy I have ever met, that I am completely head over heels in love with. I think the Lord wanted me to come to that point of complete satisfaction in Him before bringing Lee to me, because I needed to learn that a man can never love you or fulfill you like Christ does.
I tell you this story to encourage you to give all of your desires, hopes, and dreams for a Prince Charming to the Lord. Tell Him that it doesn't matter what happens to you, because all you want is Him. God has a wonderful plan for your life, His timing is always perfect, and His will is always so much more wonderful than your own plans for yourself. If you look to Him as your ultimate fulfillment and learn to be content in every circumstance (including singleness), you will be blessed. Pray that the Lord will help you to give over all of your longings for a boyfriend to Him and show you how to be content with Him alone. He is more than enough for you, and by following Him wholeheartedly, you will never be disappointed~
