Wondering if you are called to be single?

We believe there is a lot of confusion on the gift of singleness. Many singles who are coming up short in their quest for a love relationship sit back and ponder the question, "Am I called to remain single?"

Ponder no more! We've come across a pretty clear description of this gift in Candice Watters' new book titled, " Get Married - What Women Can Do to Help It Happen." Not surprisingly, Candice points to the Apostle Paul's teachings on spiritual devotion in celibacy, quoting 1 Corinthians 7:34: "The woman who is unmarried, and the virgin, is concerned about the things of the Lord, that she may be holy both in body and spirit; but one who is married is concerned about the things of the world, how she may please her husband." It's important to realize that Paul also warned young widows who pledge themselves to celibate service may later find themselves wanting to break that pledge because of their sensual desires.

Worth noting is that the gift of singleness is not about:

a) self-centerdness
b) not being able to find/attract a mate
c) not being able to make a lifelong commitment to one person

The gift of singleness/celibacy is about is whole-hearted service to the Lord.

Candice writes: "Surveying the overarching themes of Paul's writings, it's clear that he believed an unmarried woman has the potential to serve the kingdom in a greater way, but if she is not gifted to overcome her vulnerability to sexual temptation and idleness, it is better for her to marry and serve God in marriage.

If you believe you can forgo marriage and its benefits - sex, children, companionship - and be fully expended in serving the Lord, you likely have the gift of celibacy, and many blessings would confer on you for living the life of selfless service to God. If, however, you frequently notice your sex drive and find it makes you vulnerable to temptation, and if you find it difficult to avoid idleness in order to have what Paul calls 'undistracted devotion to the Lord,' then you're called to marry. Marriage is not a compromise. It is not a spiritually inferior path. It's what God is calling you to be for your good and His glory."

We definitely recommend that gals and guys grab a copy of this book to take a deeper look into the virtues of marriage and what might be called "the state of non-union" in today's society and more importantly, what you might be able to do about it.

~ Linda
Cache' Connections