Singleness....

These past two years have been incredible, I have been working on my relationship with the man that truly matters.....God. God has laid upon my heart to take this time of being single for a purpose. This time in my life is to focus on Him without the distractions of a husband or children. And God had a purpose for my singleness that I didn't even know! It was in August when I remember praying out of frustration. I asked God why I was still living at home (couldn't afford to move out), still at the same job (tired of people yelling at me), and still single! I knew when I was praying that God must have a reason for all of this. I knew it somehow fit into His plan but I was tired of it all and tired of waiting. But wait is all I could do. It was about five months later, in January, when I learned of Extreme.

If one of those things were different, if I was living in my own apartment, if I had a different job, if I was in a relationship, I'm not sure I would have said yes to this opportunity. As my dad put it, "God kept your strings to a minimum." Also, a 40/40 position with Extreme, which is what I am, is specifically open only to single people. So now I am thanking God for my singleness! Ha, how many twenty-something girls do you hear say that?!

Paul speaks to the Corinthians in a letter about singleness and these verses have meant something special to me the past few months.

I want you to live as free of complications as possible. When you're unmarried, you're free to concentrate on simply pleasing the Master. Marriage involves you in all the nuts and blots of domestic life and in wanting to please your spouse, leading to so many more demands on your attention. The time and energy that married people spend on caring for and nurturing each other, the unmarried can spend in becoming whole and holy instruments of God. I'm trying to be helpful and make it as easy as possible for you, not make things harder. All I want is for you to be able to develop a way of life in which you can spend plenty of time together with the Master without a lot of distractions.
1 Corinthians 7:32-35 MSG

An unmarried woman or virgin is concerned about the Lord's affairs: Her aim is to be devoted to the Lord in both body and spirit.
1 Corinthians 7:34b NIV