Undivided devotion: The Christian Single

"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. ³⁵ I am saying this for your own good, not to restrict you, but that you may live in a right way in undivided devotion to the Lord."- 1 Cor 7:34-35

People in the church don't talk about singleness much and when they do its always about how you can become that right person for your future spouse or what to look for in your future spouse, but why does everything have to focus around that?  Why can't someone give me a sermon on looking at my singleness in this present moment as an unmarried woman as a gift from God?  

What if God doesn't have a husband for me?  Don't get me wrong I truly hope that He does, but what if He doesn't?  Then what?  I'll keep listening to people telling me what to look for or how to become the right person when maybe God doesn't have that in the cards for me.  Sure there is nothing wrong with preparing for such a great gift as marriage, but as a almost 29 year old single who's heard her fair share of sermons on looking for the right spouse I think its time we placed the focus elsewhere.  

What if you told you me, as Paul does it 1 Corinthians 7, that my singleness is a gift because it allows me to have more time devoted to serving the Lord?  Or, what if you told me that my singleness is not a burden, but a joy, because just as marriage is a gift my singleness is also gift from God for His greatest glory.  

What if you told me that I lack no good thing in Christ as a single woman? I have all the promises of God, the hope of Jesus Christ, not to mention a calling and purpose uniquely designed by God for my life?

The Bible does not speak of there being marriage in heaven, so why don't you tell me instead that I have the joy and privilege of spending my time less on temporal things such as marriage and more on eternal things, like the gospel of Christ?   

Too many single Christians choose not to maximize their singleness because they view it as a burden.  They live in the not yet, so instead of focusing their efforts on being totally devoted to their Lord they fret and worry about when and how they will meet their future spouse instead of focusing on where God has them now. They forget this present moment is a blessing and it opens them up to focus their time and efforts more on the Gospel of Christ, something that will never pass away as marriage someday will.  

Now, I'm not trying to bash all of you married folk out there.  I'm just trying to help those who are single to see that you are not second rate.  You don't lack any good thing in Christ and you have all the same promises of God as a married person does.  

Don't buy into the lie that as a single person you cannot serve God as best! It's not true, in fact, Paul says that we can serve Him better.  Why don't we focus our time then on granting undivided devotion to our Lord instead of granting undivided devotion on a hunt for our future spouse.  Which often causes us to marry out of loneliness or because we're getting up their in years or because all the church folk are pressuring us.  

Please, church, stop pressuring us. Encourage us instead to place our time, hope and efforts towards furthering God's Kingdom.  Imagine the difference it would make!  Not only in the church, but also in the life of the single.  What if we started praising singleness like we do marriage, wow can you imagine the difference it would make in the life of the single?  It would set them on fire for the Lord Jesus!  If God had a spouse for them someday, then it would happen, but in that present moment they would feel so encouraged to live and serve out of love as they are spurred on by the body of Christ!  

Lord Jesus, as a single woman I choose today to believe that you have gifted me for such as time as this to be a single woman.  I choose, by the power of your Holy Spirit to maximize my singleness for your glory.  God, I so often get that backwards.  Remind me that I lack no good thing in Christ Jesus.  Use my life as a single woman to spread the hope of the gospel, use my time and talents for your glory and your ultimate good.  Place my focus not on what I don't have, but on what I do have. In Jesus name, Amen!