Call me crazy, but I absolutely love listening to sermons online while I’m at work. They get me thinking beyond what’s happening in my work world to what’s going on in my heart. Today’s sermon was on the art of being single – and believe me it’s certainly an art.
Dear Single Ladies and Guys visiting TenaciousInsights! In a world where we’re constantly told that we need to be in a relationship to be successful, the fact of the matter is that the season of singleness in our lives is actually a great blessing. For it’s the single that don’t have to worry about the responsibility of others, and it’s the single who are able to take the extra time in their lives and invest it in amazing opportunities that those who are otherwise attached may not have.
Pastor Mark Driscoll, at Mars Hill in Seattle, discusses what exactly the single can do while they live their lives before marriage. Here are some of his great suggestions:
1. Serve – whether it’s in the Church or in the Community, when we are distraction free we’re able to use the free time we have to serve. Think serving in the kids rooms at Church, hosting Bible Studies, helping clean the streets of your city, etc.
2. Invest in the lives of others – for me it’s at this time of singleness that I’m more able to love on the people that Christ places in my path. Whether it’s coffee dates with a new friend, Cheer practices with a dozen teenagers, or meeting and greeting new people at Church – it’s this time in my life that I have the ability and time to seriously invest in others.
3. Focus on paying off debts/saving/giving – for a lot of us that are single, we’ve racked up Student loans or other debts that actually entangle us more than we realize. It’s at this time in our life that we’re able to get the 2nd jobs to pay things off or save for a house or trips or even just save more to give more to others.
I really appreciated the light that Mark put on the fact that singleness is actually a period of time that we should feel extremely blessed to be a part of. There were a few more things that were brought to my heart as opportunities that single people could be a part of:
1. Ministry – think missions trips, service projects, etc.
2. Adventure – when else in our lives are we able to pick ourselves up and move across the country? Or what about traveling to those places we’ve always wanted to visit? Or how about just trying new things? Or opening that business that you’ve always wanted? As a single person.. there’s really nothing holding you back…
3. Listening/Hearing the Call of the Lord – I don’t know about you, but it’s in the time of singleness that I’m able to focus a bit more on Christ rather than on what’s going on in my dating life. It’s in the singleness that the Lord is able to speak to our hearts, to grab 100% of our attention and lead us in a path and direction in which He would have us go.
Overall, I think it’s absolutely VITAL that as someone who is single, that we should evaluate our lives – really looking at what needs to change or how we can be better using our time, this time, of singleness. Not worrying about Prince Charming or the Perfect Girl, but focusing our time and energy on the passions that the Lord has laid on our hearts. Earnestly, deeply going after the desires that only we have. Each and every one of us has a different plan and a different direction given by the Lord. What will you do with the gift of singleness? Where is God calling you to go? What is He calling you to do? What steps do you need to take to get your focus on the right track?
SO much to think about here friends… but hopefully you found this encouraging. God is so faithful and speaks specifically to us through those somewhat nagging feelings of “go and do this”. Listen to those desires… follow them with all your heart… let God be your centerfold… and you can’t fail.
Amen! :-)
Take a listen, if you’d like, to Mark’s sermon at: http://www.marshillchurch.org/media/1st-corinthians/single-like-jesus
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