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Link to Part 2
Link to Part 3
Link to Part 4
Finding Joy in Singleness
We need to consciously and continually seek to know God's plan for our lives. While I consider that I have been given the gift of singleness, I do not necessarily believe it is God's plan for it to be a lifelong gift for me. But if God has selected me to remain single for life, then it is a state to which I have become accustomed and one I personally relish. I'm not saying that if a potential partner came into my life, that I would ignore them. Like the armed forces who sit at “Defcon 1”, my alarm system may occasionally jump into alert mode, but so far it’s always been a false alarm!
To find joy in our lives, whether as a single Christian or a married person, it comes down to one fundamental element – our relationship with God. If our relationship with God is good, and we are earnestly seeking to grow as Christians, then joys and compensations come with it.
If we can discard the world’s version of success and seek Jesus’ version, then we will find our life more fulfilling than we can imagine.
For some of us, it is easier to focus upon the things that the world would tell us are most important. While wanting some of these things is a perfectly acceptable desire, it is also perfectly acceptable to be willing to put those aside and seek God’s path, and be a willing to grow God’s kingdom.
I cannot tell you that living as a single Christian on this earth will be a life of everlasting bliss, but I can tell you what I have experienced. As I have given more for Christ, I too have been given more from Him. As my gifts have grown, so has my joy and purpose in sharing them. As my knowledge has grown, so has my desire to learn more and to share it. As God’s blessings have increased, so has my appreciation for them grown.
In the New Living translation, John 10:10b says “My purpose is to give life in all its fullness.” Another version says, “I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.”
Doesn’t that sound like a promise from Christ Himself, that as a single Christian, or as married people, we have the opportunity to live a more fulfilled life?
If we have trusted God’s promise that He has forgiven our sins and that we will go to heaven, surely we can trust God with His plan for our life. We can trust that if He is calling us to be a single person, or a married person, we will find purpose and joy in that.
Albert Schweitzer said, “One thing I know: the only ones among you who will be really happy are those who will have sought and found how to serve.”
Do you remember those Hagar the Horrible cartoons? One time Hagar climbed a mountain and asked the guru who lived at the top “What is the key to happiness?”
The guru replied, “Abstinence, poverty, fasting and celibacy.”
Hagar then asked, “Is there someone else up there I could talk to?”
If we are single Christians, we can refuse God’s gift of singleness, or we can accept it. We can let go of our human desire for a partner and embrace God's call to singleness.
We are no longer under the old constraints of sin, selfishness and pride and we can consciously seek God’s divine spiritual guidance and renewing of our hearts to enable us to truly love all, and to grasp the plan that He has for our lives.
How much joy we experience in our circumstances and how fulfilling we find our lives, is entirely up to us. Our joy and sense of purposefulness depend upon our efforts in growing and developing our relationship with God and our understanding of Him, and upon our willingness to embrace our call to singleness, whether for a short time, a long time or a life-time.
You can leave here with the thought that you heard some mildly amusing blog entries and promptly forget it, or you can make a personal and conscientious decision to accept and embrace God's plan for your life. Whatever you choose, and wherever you are in your walk:
Don't give up. Remember that
Moses was once a basket case! ©
Moses was once a basket case! ©
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