As someone who, in the last three years, has met a significant number of single/divorced women, I've learned much about what it's like to be solo. Their candor and vulnerability have been so helpful. This post is also helpful...thank you. I'll keep reaching out, especially at the holidays. Appreciate you!
If I could add a bit of caution - please don't assume that people WANT to be married. As a contentedly single 40-year-old, so often in the church marriage is preached as the "morally superior" relational situation. That's not true. There is space for us to serve the Lord whether single or married.
I appreciate that the statement on "setting up" is offered in question form, but it's still off-putting to me. Don't try to "fix" what isn't broken about me.
That aside, I very much resonate with many of the examples you shared - the hug that isn't readily available, being alone when home sick for multiple days, or the assembly project that isn't created for one person to do alone.
Yes, the heart/point/message of the post isn't that someone must move from single to married or that once you've gotten married you've "arrived" -- but to highlight the importance of community and being for one another whether single or married or dating or widowed.
The text suggestions are simply suggestions... possible ways to reach out and open up a conversation, particularly because I've heard a number of people say they don't know how to begin a convo or what to ask, but they don't want to sidestep mentioning singleness in case their friend does feel lonely/longs for community etc. If someone were to kindly and thoughtfully ask "If someone comes to mind, how do you feel about being set up?" (for example) it opens the door to say thank you but no thank you/I'm content where I am but so appreciate you thinking of me and wondering if it's something I'm hoping for/here are some other things I'm hoping for that I'd love for you to pray into with me! etc.
"Being for each other might just be the best gift we can give one another. At the end of the day — whether happily single, desiring marriage, dating, widowed, divorced, married, or engaged — it’s true of every single one of us: We all just want to be seen, known, wanted and loved." 💛
As someone who, in the last three years, has met a significant number of single/divorced women, I've learned much about what it's like to be solo. Their candor and vulnerability have been so helpful. This post is also helpful...thank you. I'll keep reaching out, especially at the holidays. Appreciate you!
If I could add a bit of caution - please don't assume that people WANT to be married. As a contentedly single 40-year-old, so often in the church marriage is preached as the "morally superior" relational situation. That's not true. There is space for us to serve the Lord whether single or married.
I appreciate that the statement on "setting up" is offered in question form, but it's still off-putting to me. Don't try to "fix" what isn't broken about me.
That aside, I very much resonate with many of the examples you shared - the hug that isn't readily available, being alone when home sick for multiple days, or the assembly project that isn't created for one person to do alone.
Yes, the heart/point/message of the post isn't that someone must move from single to married or that once you've gotten married you've "arrived" -- but to highlight the importance of community and being for one another whether single or married or dating or widowed.
The text suggestions are simply suggestions... possible ways to reach out and open up a conversation, particularly because I've heard a number of people say they don't know how to begin a convo or what to ask, but they don't want to sidestep mentioning singleness in case their friend does feel lonely/longs for community etc. If someone were to kindly and thoughtfully ask "If someone comes to mind, how do you feel about being set up?" (for example) it opens the door to say thank you but no thank you/I'm content where I am but so appreciate you thinking of me and wondering if it's something I'm hoping for/here are some other things I'm hoping for that I'd love for you to pray into with me! etc.
"Being for each other might just be the best gift we can give one another. At the end of the day — whether happily single, desiring marriage, dating, widowed, divorced, married, or engaged — it’s true of every single one of us: We all just want to be seen, known, wanted and loved." 💛