Single and Broken are NOT the Same Thing!

“Single and broken are not the same thing.” ~ Stephanie May Wilson

Now, I haven’t met Miss Wilson but MAN do I feel her! Somehow in this culture our view has become warped into thinking that anything outside of a couple is incomplete. Sadly, you don’t just see this in the world but also in the church. These views are often seen in comments like, “Don’t be sad that you’re alone.” or my favorite, “Why won’t a man date you?” and while these comments are normally meant to be a kind response by a concerned person the reality is quite different. I usually walk away from these conversations thinking that I wasn’t sad until I talked to Mrs. Concerned and I’m a little offended that she assumes my single status is based on some weird secret hobby like underwater basket weaving. Truthfully, you can only field so many of these questions before you start feeling that Mrs. Concerned must be right and you are sad and pitiful.

I'm here to tell you that this is 100% not true! How can we believe that God is in control and yet feel that someone being single or widowed or divorced is somehow broken? Was Ruth valued less by God in her single days? What about Mary or Martha? Did they have nothing to offer because they were unattached? Of course not! Who are we to criticize the plan God has for anyone's lives...even our own?

Regardless of the relationship status God chooses for you, whether you're single for a season or single for a reason, you need to praise God for the amazing life He has bestowed upon you and the adventures He has planned. Please don't misunderstand me, this doesn't mean we stop praying for what we desire but instead we ask God to make HIS desires for us our desires for us. I find that in certain seasons this is easier than in others. Sometimes I forget that I’m supposedly “missing” something in my life but at other times I have to ask God daily to relieve a homesickness for someone I’ve never met.

Luckily, we have a God who loves us and listens to our cries. So, remember, God knows your heart far better than you do; just as he knows my heart and my desire for a husband and family. I desire and pray for them regularly but I also ask that God fulfill his plan in my life. After all, I would not want to be a wife or mother that lived outside of God's will for my own selfish desires. So, I wait expectantly but with the knowledge that God, as a loving father, has an amazing plan for my life and that regardless of the outcome it will be an awesome ride!