Monday, August 29, 2011

Is there joy to be found in singleness? How do I find it?

Yes, there certainly is!  The promise of life in the Spirit is love, joy and peace - so let's not forget the joy!  The Letter of James is instructive.  Especially chapter one.

v2 - Consider it pure joy whenever you face trials of many kinds.  That is, the challenges of life are to be met with an attitude of 'pure joy'!  Why?  Because, v12, those who stand the test, will receive the crown of life that God promises to those who love him.  Our joy is in the anticipation of a deferred - and great - reward.  But our joy is also in our present circumstance, v16-18, knowing that the eternal and unchanging God is caring for us, giving us good and perfect gifts, choosing us to be the first-fruits of his creation.

v22 famously reminds us not to be merely hearers of the Word, but doers also lest we deceive ourselves.  What is that Word to singles?  Why, it is 1 Corinthians chapter seven, which points out the freedom (and joy) that singles can have to be devoted to serving God and serving others.  From that service, comes great joy.

When I reflect on my own life, I think that the periods of greatest joy have been when I've been less focussed on my own circumstances, precisely because I've been busy serving others and working for the good of some larger project.  These have, typically, been challenging times of hard work, overcoming obstacles and even frustrating times of working with (would you believe it) people who don't agree with me in every detail.  But the joy has come from seeing us together achieve something that none of us could have done alone, something of value to God's kingdom.

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