3 Thoughts on the Single Life

Today, I'm super excited to be letting my dear friend take over my blog!  I've known her for a while, but only really known her for about 1.5 years.  It seems like so much longer though {in a very good way, of course}.  We love grabbing Starbucks, taking all-girl road trips, and just talking about life!  

She's like an aunt to my kids, spoils them rotten, and is one of the most generous people I know.  She'll give you the shirt on her back as well as any spare time she has for a friend in need.  I'm so thankful that God brought this Texas gal to Virginia so that we could meet and become friends!    

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Guest post from April of Vagabond with a Mission   

The Single Life: It’s Not Always Easy, But Never Boring

I must start out by saying that I’m so thankful for my
friend Sarah and her willingness to allow me to be a guest contributor on her
blog. She and I talk often about what God is doing in our lives and teaching
us. We also just do life together with church friends. I get the privilege to
call Sarah and other ladies in our church family close friends. Many of these
ladies are married and have little ones. As a 30-something who is still single
and has no kids of my own, I get to love on my friends’ kids.

Recently I was able to help a couple in our church family
who needed someone to stay with their kids for a couple of days. I thought,
“Well, I’m single and I can do this with not to much interruption to normal
life.” Oh, how wrong I was on all accounts. I can tell you as a single person,
I was not prepared to do all that parents do for their kids. Please don’t hear
this as complaining. I love these two kids and am so thankful for the time I
had with them. However, I learned a lot of things and would love to share those
with you. 




1) Singleness does give you an opportunity to have more time
to focus on ministry and the things He has tasked you with for this season. 




This might look different for every single person. If you
are in college and single, it might be that your task is school and building relationships with
your classmates and roommates. If you are past the school age, it might be that
your ministry is within your church fellowship in worship ministry, youth ministry,
college ministry, and so on. Or if you are like me, you tend to be involved in multiple things
at church, in the community, and also able to help friends out with needs from time to
time, that if married and with children

of my own I would not be able to do.




2) Singleness is the season God gives to us to dedicate more
time seeking Him in Scripture and prayer. 




This is very much like what the Apostle Paul was talking
about in 1 Corinthians 7 about, “One who is unmarried is concerned about the things of the
Lord, how he may please the Lord.” (v. 32) When you are single, you can more
easily (not that you have more time than anyone else in a day) take an hour or more to
sit with Scripture or in prayer. It’s hard to do that when you are married and even
more when you have children. I got a taste of that when I was staying with these
children. I didn’t have the hour or even

half an hour that I have when I’m at my house to do this
without interruption.




3) Singleness now doesn’t mean that you are alone. 




I’m so grateful for this truth. Not only does the God of the
universe promise to always be with me and never leave me alone, but He has blessed me with
a family (biologically and through Him) that allows me to be connected to others in
significant relationships. I have learned so much through my biological family and church
family that will (if that is His plan) for me to have my own family unit. I am thankful that
I get to see the good, the challenges and the heartache that happens in families. It
keeps me from daydreaming that marriage is the solution to loneliness or is filled
with only happiness.




All in all, I’ve learned tons about God, life with Him, life
with the people He has in my life and what He wants to do with that in and
through me. However, there is no doubt I am still learning. I do not even begin
to think I have this life as a single figured out or that my heart is always
happy with the season I am in but I do know it is never boring and I’m never
alone.




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Thanks so much for sharing with us today, April!  I'm so thankful to have you in my life and hope you'll share your heart with us again soon.  




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