The lies and labels are constantly there: "I'm not good enough,” “I'm too this,” “I’m not that." Everything in and around you says that once you have found the one all will be as it should. That is a BIG misconception. In talking with both men and women who are married, I have come to understand that this is just not the case. Marriage is a beautiful covenant with perks but also struggles, just like being single has it's joys and hurts.

The joys of being single run deep.

The Apostle Paul tells us that there are benefits!

"I say this for your own benefit, not to lay any restraint upon you, but to promote good order and to secure your undivided devotion to the Lord.” 2 Corinthians 7:35

We have been set apart because He has loved us first. Let that resonate with you.

WE ARE SET APART FOR HIS GLORY.

It is no accident. We are single because His will and timing are not constrained to our wants. He knows beyond a doubt what we need. Ladies and gentlemen we are in desperate need of King Jesus.

How many times have you heard:

"Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart." Psalm 37:4

If you have been waiting and have not received, understand that it is not because you have not delighted in the Lord. Marriage is not the end point: Christ is. Better yet, He is our perfect beginning. I forget that too often. Many, myself included, have shed tears on account of being single, because on a good day it still hurts. This world, brothers and sisters, is not for us. In the midst of loneliness, your feelings are valid. They are not ignored. We must remember that we are relentlessly pursued by the One who has written our names on His hand. We are not a forgotten people group. We have been found, rescued, and redeemed. That's joy!

If you are single, and are called to be married, pray for your future spouse that she or he would love the Lord and delight in Him apart from you. That is the most loving thing you can do as you walk in God’s grace-given singleness.