Why does society expect everyone to be paired up and married, like it is the ultimate goal of life? And why, if you are unmarried, are you pitied and viewed as somehow less than or lacking something? Even “the church” seems to value marriage over being single, even though in the Bible, Paul says that it is better to remain single. I believe that being single is an absolutely valid and valuable way of life that is completely underrated.

Yes, I would like to get married someday but maybe I won’t. Not because I am disgruntled or jaded or something is wrong with me but because maybe it isn’t God’s plan for my life. He may have something greater planned for me that marriage may or may not be a part of. But I’d never seriously considered that until recently. I’d always thought that I would get married at some point, maybe when I am 50 but definitely, at some point.

This summer, my best friend forwarded me a blog post by a woman named Grace Thornton (you can read that post here) and the post put into words what I’ve known all along but was kind of afraid to acknowledge. God doesn’t promise marriage to us and there isn’t always going to be someone for everyone and that’s ok because God has a different (and just as good!) path for each one of us. Ms.Thornton writes “Our God is a creative God, and He loves without boundaries. He loves each woman, and He loves the people He’s going to reach through her unique life and story. The life we have was never meant to be a consolation prize, runner-up to the thing we wanted more. It’s meant to be God-infused right where it is with the fullness of knowing Him through His Word and chasing after Him with our entire life.” Amen.

Letting go of the expectation of something that you have imagined and wanted your entire life, takes some getting used to. For me, letting go does not mean giving up or losing hope, it just means taking my focus off of marriage and accepting that my life may look nothing like I had planned. Our purpose in life is not to find a husband but to love and follow Christ. Pursue Him and trust that your story will unfold exactly as it should, in His way and in His time.

Blessings,

Angela