Tomorrow, as most of you surely know, is Valentines Day, a day set aside to show your affection for your significant other. It is also known by many by another name - Singles Awareness Day. I fall into that group. It is often a painful and sad day for those of us who are single, and I have been no exception. But this year I have begun to think about it in a different light. When you are single, you see marriage and especially dating relationships as being special, something new that is more fun and just all around better. After all, who doesn't want to have another person thinking about them as a top priority? But, as a Christian, I have a God who has me on his top priorities. Not only does He care about me and give me everything I need, but He died a horrible death to set me free from sin and give me a relationship with Him when I certainly wasn't worth it.
In 2006, census numbers said that about 55% of Americans were couples living together (whether married or unmarried). There are also many, many more dating couples out there, making our view that relationships are special (as opposed to common) quite wrong. We the singles are the special ones, and we have a purpose in Christ. As the apostle Paul pointed out in 1 Corinthians 7, "I want you to be free from anxieties.... The unmarried or betrothed woman is
anxious about the things of the Lord, how to be holy in body and spirit.
But the married woman is anxious about worldly things, how to please
her husband. I say this for your own benefit, not to lay any restraint upon you, but to promote good order and to secure your undivided devotion to the Lord." Though he says here and earlier that it is not wrong for a man or woman to marry, here he states the fact that married people have to think about their families and spouses. Those of us who are single have no earthly bonds that keep us from going and serving the Lord wherever He calls us. We don't have to think and worry about our kids, but we do have the privilege and opportunity to "be anxious about the things of the Lord." How cool is that? A married Christian really has two relationships that they have to keep straight, the one between them and Christ and the one between them and their spouse. Christian singles have one relationship that we can give all our energy and thought toward.
Now all of this does not mean that every single Christian should never marry, but we should stop looking. A speaker at camp a week ago pointed out that when two married Christians seek to improve their relationship with God first, their relationship with each other will automatically improve. The opposite is also true. If married people neglect their relationship with God, their relationship with each other will inevitably fall apart eventually. If that is the case in marriage, then shouldn't single Christians practice seeking God while they are unhindered and quit seeking after the right man or woman? If God's purpose for our lives is to be married, He will bring the right person into our lives when we are ready. And we will never be ready until we are willing to put Him first no matter our relationship status.
So this Valentines Day, I will not allow myself to be disappointed that I am single, because I have a relationship with my Lord and Savior that outshines any earthly couple. He may not buy me flowers or chocolate, but I know He loves me more than any man could, and He has promised to take care of me for the rest of my life.
