Checklist For Singlehood
Many of us do not understand the significance of being single and embracing it! We look around and “the norm” is to always be taken and have someone by your side. We fail to understand that we are not ever alone; for GOD is always with us (Matthew 28:20; Hebrews 13:5; 1 Corinthians 3:16; John 14:16-17)! He is omniscience (all knowing), omnipotent (powerful), and omnipresent (everywhere). There is a beauty about finding yourself through GOD. We all should go through this stage of life; it is essential in our growth as believers, but most of all, as servants of GOD!
I am currently in my Singlehood and there are a few things (give and take) I have come to learn that I will gain in this stage:
1. Be validated in GOD- First love. He places value on you.
Find who you are through GOD and him alone. He is Thee Creator of all things! He places the purpose on your life, not others! “Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee…” (Jeremiah 1:5, KJV). “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them” (Genesis 1:27, KJV). (Read “Creations vs. Thee Creator” post.) “You can describe someone, but not define someone,” Pastor Dawkins.
2. Be anchored in GOD- Find and understand who He is. Read your Bible.
Maya Angelou once said, “A woman's heart should be so hidden in God that a man has to seek Him just to find her.” This is profound! This should the part of your Singlehood foundation as you are waiting or seeking (male’s perspective) for your spouse. Reading your Bible equips you with the resources and principles you will need in order to persevere through life. It will describe to you who GOD is. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1, KJV) Hosea 4:6, KJV, states, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.” This is where you will find truth and guidance. “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path” (Psalm 119:105, KJV). “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth” (John 17:17, KJV). Build a relationship with Christ! Pray to Him; listen to Him; be vulnerable to Him. He should be the core in all that you do! Be sold out for Christ!
3. Be capable- Know what you can bring to a relationship and the purpose you are given in life.
Through your Singlehood, sanctifying, and consecrating yourself, GOD will reveal your strengths (gifts and purposes) and weakness. Once identified, you will be able to perfect your craft in its’ own being with GOD being the guide. He will distinguish the greatness you have inside of you. “There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them” (1 Corinthians 12:4, KJV). “Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God's grace in its various forms” (1 Peter 4:10, KJV). “Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us” (Romans 12:6. KJV). Through this process, you will know what you are gifted in , and what you can contribute in the future. For only GOD can show you what He has given you through your relationship with him.
4. Understand (or try to) the weight of marriage- Sacredness, sacrifice, and selflessness.
In my Q&A post about getting Saved, I compared it to myself getting married. I did not take it lightly because I knew that this was a covenant commitment. Before we are “officially married” through the holy and Biblical definition, once Saved, we are with GOD. He is our Groom and we are His Bride. GOD compares the Church as His Bride and Him being the Groom, coming back to get her. “Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;” (Ephesians 5: 25, KJV). “For thy Maker [is] thine husband; the LORD of hosts [is] his name; and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel; The God of the whole earth shall he be called” (Isaiah 54:5, KJV). In this instance, we should treat GOD as we would our future spouse; keeping our temple sacred and only belonging to Him. “ What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own” (1 Corinthians 6:19)? We must also be obedient in GOD and deny our own selfish wants. “But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and [to] the evil” (Philippians 2:4, KJV). Always remember, “Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love” (1 John 4:7-8, KJV).
Granted there may be more points, but this is what I have gained thus far and what the Spirit has lead me to write. We should all ensure we go through this process of Singlehood with Thee Lord and sincerely appreciate it. It is a time a cultivating and preparing us for marriage but in the same token strengthen us as a servant for GOD. Our number one goal in life is to do what will lead us into the gates. “His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord” (Matthew 25:23, KJV).
Selah.
(Picture courtsey of: http://marketingland.com/wp-content/ml-loads/2014/08/checklist2-ss-1920.jpg)
