Thoughts from Aly- Singleness

Singleness.....most people view it as a curse, but is it really? When you are single, the loneliness can be overwhelming at times, but would your loneliness be cured if you shared your life with someone? Would you truly be satisfied laying in someone's arms? Can someone else tell you who you are? Can someone else tell you they love you enough times for you to truly believe it and never doubt it? Can someone make you feel safe or secure all the time? Is it possible for you to become a better person by having someone at your side forever? If you are only half a person to begin with, can someone make you whole?

I know the answer to these questions....the someone is not a man or a woman, it is Jesus Christ. He is the only person who can ever tell you who you are....in Him. He is the only one who can make you a whole person so you can pour into others without being afraid of running dry. He will tell you He loves you in so many ways and so many times that you will never have reason to doubt. And if you do, He'll tell you again and again just how much He loves you until you believe Him again. All you have to do is ask. In His arms, you will be truly satisfied. Not a fleeting satisfaction, but a lasting all-encompassing satisfaction. When you allow Him to speak into your life and heart and be constantly by your side, you will never be lonely. In the dead of night, He is there. When you are shedding those silent, agonizing tears, He is there. Even when you can't express your pain in words, when another human being would be helpless to understand, He knows exactly what you need and can touch your heart in a way no one else can.

Many times, as I go through life, people ask me why I am single. I'm single not because of circumstance or necessity, but by choice. I am choosing God and He is more than I ever dreamed. It sounds too good to be true, doesn't it? That's what I first thought, but He has continued to whisper into my ear over and over and I am certain now. He is more than enough. I am content being single. Not a grudging acceptance, but content...satisfied....happy to be single. Now, in my time of singleness, I can chase after God with all of my devotion. A verse in Acts has caught my attention.

“He had four unmarried daughters who prophesied.” Acts 21:9 (NIV emphasis added)

This is such a small, often overlooked verse, but it has so much to teach. The daughters were unmarried....and they prophesied. There is a power in singleness because of the devotion you have the opportunity to give Him. Another key word is four. There wasn't just one daughter who hadn't yet been married off. There were four. In that day and age, daughters were usually married off as quickly as possible so the father didn't have so many to care for. This strikes me as unusual that there were four of them all at the same time and ALL of them prophesied.

Don't look at your singleness as a curse, look at it as an opportunity. Now is the time I can serve God and learn who I am. A time to develop my character and pour my life out for others.