Life feels consumed with a sense of missing when bearing
the title of single.
It feels similar to enduring winter’s
cold, sharp days, longing for the warmth of the following two seasons.
That is the power of an absent
romantic love or, instead, the power of a misplaced hope.
If I were honest, I would have to
acknowledge that I have placed my desire for romantic love in the heights of my
heart, believing it could satisfy what it cannot.
My inner obsession with romantic love
is a fixation the world also has.
It seems to be a universal belief
that partnership leads to ultimate security and contentment.
A belief that says to be in
love is to be whole.
Many do not dare to admit this
idea but evidently use it to direct their lives.
I have
grown to realize that romantic love was not created to rule hearts or overly
consume lives.
This
kind of love was intended to be a gracious gift that intentionally and
unintentionally draws us back to the truth of God.
However, the truth remains, I am
a hopeless romantic by default, and sadness seeps in when I
enter yet another year single.
Why do I
hold this dream of true love closer than I hold the dream giver?
Why do I
deny the truth that I am well in the midst of the Creator, in
all seasons?
This is what idols do.
They remind you that you need them in
order to breathe easy, in order to have a sense of calm and joy.
A lie that it is.
To love
another is a gift, not a determining factor of worth, joy, or a full life.
So, in this repeated season of
singleness, though it continues to be a battle,
I find hope when I remember the
gentle words and life of Jesus.
“I have
come that they may have life and have it to the full.” (John 10:10b, NLT)
Life in Him is full, and by Him,
goodness is created in the places where there seems to be none.
Though my focus often deters in this
season, honoring God here looks like me turning to pursue Him as He
graciously pursues me.
Therefore, may I turn, standing
with or without the title of single, and rest under the peace and love of
God, knowing that in Him, I am missing nothing.
- lr
A prayer for those in a similar battle - Ephesians 3:16-21
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