Calling all the Single Ladies
By: Bethany Baird
Have you ever had one of those AH-HA moments in your life?
I had one of those last week as I was talking to a friend about her recent broken engagement. She shared her heartache with me, but also the hope of knowing that God is sovereign and He does have a plan for her life. God knew her engagement would be broken and still allowed her to go through it for a very specific reason.
Although she may not understand why, she is choosing to trust God and praise Him through this storm.
She went on to explain to me how she is grateful that God is giving her another chance to serve Him in her single years. She looks forward being married one day, but knows that this time of singleness, however long it may be, is a very unique time to serve God with all that she is.
That is when I had my AH-HA moment.
Your life as a single girl might be really short.
I love ministry and I am passionate about serving God and investing in relationships, but I didn't view this time in my life as a set apart time to serve God in a very unique way. After I got home and had some time to think about it, I realized that the years from high school graduation to marriage are typically short.
Most girls get married in their mid 20's which means that after high school we only have an average of 5-7 years of singleness.
Yeah, so? Why is singleness such a big deal?
Think with me for a second. What do the majority of girls do after high school? They typically get a job, start college, hang out with friends whenever they can, get a boyfriend(s), vacation, etc.
I'm not saying these things are wrong in and of themselves – but the question you need to ask yourself is this: "Why am I doing this? Is it to serve Christ in a greater capacity...or is it for my own personal gain?" If it's to serve Christ, then good for you!
Sadly, the majority of the time we don't use our post high school activities and pursuits to serve God and invest in eternity. Rather, we work really hard at making ourselves feel accomplished and important in the world's eyes. We strive to look successful and productive to those around us.
As single Christians ladies, shouldn't our activities after high school look different than the worlds'? Shouldn't we be striving for something other than worldly accomplishments?
I have been challenged to think about my few years of singleness in a whole new light.
Imagine this with me: What if we devoted our few short years of singleness to serving in the church, planning women's events, hosting Bible studies, mentoring the young girls in our community, attending women's Bible studies, serving our families, taking over some of our parent's household tasks, preparing family meals, taking care of our grandparents, volunteering in nursing homes or crisis pregnancy centers, baby-sitting for free, writing encouraging notes to friends and family, coordinating events for our family and church, or memorizing scripture with our siblings and young ladies at the church – We would be impacting those around us like crazy!
These are just a few of the ways we as single girls can be extremely productive in serving God and blessing those around us. The list is endless!
Once they're gone, they're gone forever.
If God's plan is for me to get married some day, that means my single years are on a count down and will be gone before I know it. Once I get married my main ministry and focus will be on serving my husband, shifting my primary focus away from other things.
In Matthew 20:27-28 Jesus reminds us that we are here on this earth to serve, not to be served. Whether you ever get married or not, your life is just a vapor (James 4:14).
What will you do with the time that God has given you right now?Will you spend your single years focused on yourself or on serving God?Will you build and strengthen your skills to serve Christ or will you strive to make your own name greater?
When your single years are gone, they are gone for good. Be intentional with your time.
What will you have to show for the single years God has given you?
