From the Beginning

Lovely lady, why are you still single?

 

Maybe I should clarify why I ask. Prolonged singleness is an obvious trend in American society today. Did you know that half of the women in our nation are single?

 

Consider this. When God made the world, He thought everything He made was good. Genesis 1 records His thoughts after each act of creation: “…and God saw that it was good.” Sky and land? Good. Moon and stars? Good. Plants and animals? Good.

 

And then, the first man came on the scene—Man, created in the image of God. Yet, God made this observation: “It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him” (Genesis 2:18, emphasis added).

 

Singleness is validated in Christ; after all, He was single, and one of the greatest apostles, Paul, was single. Marriage doesn’t define who we are; Christ does.

 

Yet, marriage was at the heart of God’s plan when He created Woman. He created her—and you and me—to be a suitable counterpart. As He fashioned Eve from Adam’s side, He planted that seed, that desire to be a marriage partner, deep into her heart.

 

What do you think? Generally speaking, is it fair to say that God desires you to be married? And if so, why do you think you—and many of us—aren’t?

 

 

4 Responses to “ “From the Beginning”

  1. Anonymous says:

    The ups and downs, questions & lack of answers over more than a few years can be frustrating, esp. when folks dare "think" and voice to us that we should be married. To thrive intimately and closely, then, and be in a relationship in your upper thirties can be difficult as well: we are more set in our ways, we have more history, habits, and hang ups to understand from one another if we are to relate on a more intimate level. If not for the Grace of God it would be completely impossible (and among common divorce statistics) to be married. If also not for the Grace of God it would be impossible to remain active and live vibrantly as a single, unmarried person.

  2. Anonymous says:

    There are so many external facing people in our society that feel with their eyes instead of their heart and soul; it isn't until an individual is comfortable with their internal soul that people will see them and the true beauty they have to offer others. Isn't it easier to hide behind the "singles" mask. It would be interesting to see how many others feel that when wearing your "mask"; a certain amount of protection from cruelty is expected. The definition of a single person's cruelty is probably different from one to the next; it would be interesting to hear those thoughts here in this safe forum.

  3. David's Harp and Pen says:

    Joanne, yours is a loaded question. Obviously, God wants a good number of people to be married to propagate the human race. I don't know why the prolonged period of singleness nowadays. I have heard there is a man shortage, but I can only speculate. From a general standpoint, perhaps why so many are still single is because in today's day, we are told, first of all, that marriage is not the ultimate expression of romantic love/commitment, and second, there are other tasks in life either equally important or more important than settling down.

  4. Joanne Chantelau says:

    Thanks to everyone for your thoughts and comments! I love hearing fom you. You've each hit on different reasons for prolonged singleness: The challenges we face simply by being older and single; the internal fears we might feel about launching into relationships; and the changing importance of marriage in our society. In the coming week, we'll be talking more about some of these reasons for prolonged singleness. Stay tuned!

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