Dating is a challenge. College dating is an absolute struggle. Christian dating in college feels almost impossible. As many girls grow up, they are often reminded of how "Mr. Right" will come along and they will one day start a family together.
One day... just not today.
It is so easy for young women to feel as if their lives have not started because they are in a season of singleness. I know I have felt this way before. Life seems to almost take a backseat as we anticipate whether or not this could be the guy, or if McDreamy is just around the corner.
It is so easy to let this become a distraction, or even feel as if one is incapable of properly living as a single woman. Even Proverbs 31, a passage of scripture I have grown to cherish, discusses a woman's purpose as a wife and mother. She is strong and capable, but her traits are best amplified through the household she has formed.
So what are we single Christians to do?
Well, one thing is for sure: we are not to just sit here and wait. And we especially aren't supposed to stress over dating, lurking around every corner for a decent guy.
Some of the people God worked through most powerfully were single for their entire lives, such as Paul, John the Baptist, and even Jesus. These men were not swiping right on Tinder or using clever pick-up lines on the local women. No, they were the physical hands and feet of God, working towards His purpose and spreading the gospel across the nations.
And not only males were single. Ever heard of Mary Magdalene?
Mary Magdalene was not a sad single, but a devoted and active follower of Jesus during his time here on earth. She was there with him, assisting him, giving her life to be a servant to him. Some might say she could not have done this with a husband and children at home. Even a courtship would have served as a challenge. It was the freedom of her single status that allowed her to fill this pivotal role in Jesus's mission. As always, God knew what He was doing.
Paul discusses the opportunities of a single woman, such as Mary Magdalene, when speaking to the Church of Corinth.
"An unmarried woman 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."
- 1 Corinthians 7:34-35
Mary was not dealt with the concerns that come with becoming a wife and/or mother but was given the opportunity to serve God with her whole heart and mind.
By no means am I saying a married man or woman cannot serve God. I wholeheartedly believe God places some people together because they accomplish His work better together than they would apart, serving Him through their united works and their teachings to their children. My parents serve as living proof of this through their marriage and raising of me and my sister, and it is their example I hope to one day follow if God grants me a husband and family.
As for now, God needs me to be single, and I could not be happier to follow His command.
Yes, I hope to someday enter a relationship. Yes, I want to be married in the future. Yes, I would like the opportunity to start a family. More importantly, though, I want to carry out God's plan as effectively as possible, and being in a relationship will not allow me to do so at this moment.
Relationships are work, and any rom-com or Hallmark movie that tells you otherwise should be aggressively ignored. As Paul says in 1 Corinthians 7:28, marriage leads to "many troubles" that He will "spare [us]" if it is in His plan. Marriage brings many joys as well, but they do not just appear. Instead, they require a strong commitment, patience, understanding, and so many other qualities I have yet to mature into.
In the meantime, God has given me so many other blessings. I have great friends, a passion for my future career, and a relationship with the One who will always know me best.
My Facebook status may not be changing anytime soon, but God's plan for my life continues to unfold each and every day, and I am happy to carry it out in the way He decides best for me.
