Kelley Goewey<\/strong><\/a>: I\u2019m going to write about being single. Bear with me.<\/p>\n\u201cIf you\u2019re a woman and you\u2019ve chosen to be married, then you\u2019ve chosen to be the woman God created you to be.\u201d<\/p>\n
In my experience, Christians say a lot of wacky and untrue things about romantic relationships. Let\u2019s take the above example, which I heard today,\u00a0as Exhibit A. I could probably give you exhibits through ZZ, possibly even ZZZ.\u00a0We make marriage into an idol and we make judgments based on relationship status. I went to a Christian college, so I\u2019ve had a mega-dose of the pressure and worry and striving that can often be a part of Christian communities in regard to marriage.<\/p>\n
I can only think of 2 positive messages about singleness from my time in college. Both were from professors, one who married (relatively) later in life and one who has never been married. The latter spoke in chapel once, and her charge to the single students was to buy themselves nice dishes. She explained that she used her college dorm dishes until she was 40 because subconsciously she didn\u2019t think she should have nice dishes until she was married.<\/p>\n
If you think that seems extreme or crazy, I can tell you that it\u2019s not. Obviously I don\u2019t know what it\u2019s like for men in the Church, but as a Christian woman who grew up in the faith, there is strong and prevalent messaging that your life, your ministry, and the \u201creal\u201d work of your relationship with God begin only when you get married. So why would you buy nice dishes when your real life hasn\u2019t even begun?<\/p>\n
Let us be very clear: I have been asked out on a date once in my life, and I didn\u2019t realize it was happening until the guy had completely finished talking. I couldn\u2019t even answer; I just made an awkward \u201cehhhh\u2026\u201d noise and ran to the office break room. I asked a good friend out for a coffee about a year ago and he literally hasn\u2019t spoken to me since. So if life is a marathon and marriage is the starting line for women, then I am a fish and therefore have no legs and can\u2019t run in marathons.<\/p>\n
But I spent years begging God to make it happen because I longed to be a legitimate member of the church. I wanted to have a ministry. I\u2019ve wanted to be a foster parent and adopt for as long as I can remember. I felt called to serve God in ways that I thought only possible if I were married. And I worried about never having a place in church on my own.<\/p>\n
I can\u2019t even count the number of times I\u2019ve heard my sisters in Christ tell me that their romantic relationships began when they \u201cgot [their] heart right with God.\u201d And so I spent hours trying to figure out what was wrong with me, what I was doing wrong in my relationship with God that was preventing Him from blessing me with a romantic relationship that would lead to marriage and a purpose and a way to serve Him.<\/p>\n
And I can\u2019t tell you how often I\u2019ve heard singleness described as the consolation prize you get if you\u2019re not married. \u201cOh, you\u2019re not married? Well, you get more freedom and you don\u2019t have to worry about in-laws and Paul said that good thing about singleness once. And you\u2019re young and you\u2019re probably aren\u2019t called to singleness, you just haven\u2019t met the right person yet.\u201d (As a\u00a0side note, I do wonder at what age you stop being \u201cjust young\u201d and become firmly and irrevocably \u201ccalled to singleness.\u201d)<\/p>\n
I used to think that if I just knew for certain whether I was waiting for a husband or if I was called to singleness I could have a little funeral for my desire to be a mom and move on with life. But slowly, so slowly, I finally heard the Holy Spirit telling me to stop obsessing and move on. God has called me to be like Jesus. Married, single, dating\u2026He has called me to be like Jesus.<\/p>\n
Marriage and singleness are what they are. They\u2019re different and they\u2019re complex and they\u2019re both tangled up with sin for the time being.
\nYou may deal with loneliness and isolation, like I do\u2013marriage is not a cure for that.
\nYou may struggle with loving people and being vulnerable, like I do\u2013singleness is not an escape from that.<\/p>\n
My relationship status cannot alter the deep, desperate need of my soul for a Savior.
\nMy relationship status cannot bring me worth or holiness in the eyes of Jesus.<\/p>\n
He loved me when I was yet a sinner. And He called me to holiness and ministry no matter what. No matter if I am single or married or healthy or employed or depressed or rich or or or or\u2026<\/p>\n
As the Body of Christ, we are called to be like Jesus, to lay ourselves down at the feet of God and submit wholly to Him, starting from the instant the Holy Spirit quickens our hearts. Not starting on our wedding day. Not at any other arbitrary starting line.<\/p>\n
I found that this amazing thing happened when I released my fear about my relationship status and put my trust back in Jesus: I was able to admit that I enjoy being single without feeling any shame, without feeling like I was trying to shirk some responsibility. Because however I am supposed to minister, which kids I am supposed to adopt, whatever job I am supposed to do, however God is going to conform me to the likeness of His Son: these all have happened and are happening and will continue to happen because of God. They are not dependent on my relationship status.<\/p>\n
Whether you\u2019re single or married.
\nWhatever your relationship status may be.
\nRun to Jesus.<\/p>\n
Stay in touch! Like Jesus Creed on Facebook:<\/em><\/p>\n\n
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Jesus Creed<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"By Kelley Goewey: I\u2019m going to write about being single. Bear with me. \u201cIf you\u2019re a woman and you\u2019ve chosen to be married, then you\u2019ve chosen to be the woman God created you to be.\u201d In my experience, Christians say a lot of wacky and untrue things about romantic relationships. Let\u2019s take the above example, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":197,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-61501","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n
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