Monday, January 05, 2009

Yep, I said it...

I'm going to boldly travel into uncharted territory. Perhaps to a place where no person in my position has gone before...well, except for that Joshua Harris kid that we kinda laughed at for a bit. I'm going to address the topic of the young single Christian...as a young single Christian. I know, questionable you say. Please, spare me the cliche's. I know, I know: God's got something great for me, you just know it! And let me guess: God's timing is perfect, and it just isn't His timing yet. Grrrrreat! It's still not always the land of contentment over here, and it's easy as the single person to tie some of that to singleness. But that's not even what I wanted to blog about.

So here goes the real issue on my heart: we as Christian singles need more faith. We need faith that God loves us, that He does have a plan for us, and that His will IS for our good (Rom. 8:28) and better than we could ask for (Eph. 3:20). But please, if you're married, do NOT take it upon yourself to speak these Truths to us. We're like tarp and your words are like rain. It just rolls right off us. And not because it's not true, but just because we don't believe you can relate to how we really feel at all. And I'm sorry your pure intentions aren't rewarded with our response. It's just life.

But the reason I bring this up is because I'm kinda tired of the pressure. You know, that silent, underlying pressure in any social situation where a group of young Christian singles are gathered. Will any of these people hit it off? Do I see/feel compatibility in this situation? I dream of a time when Christian singles (myself included!) can meet a Christian single of the opposite gender without immediately sizing them up as dating potential. I don't even know if it's a conscious process for some. But let's be honest, it totally happens. I wish we could all just truly hang out and be friends purely, experiencing legit and natural friendship processes. Instead, we're making mental pros and con lists and seeing if their name sounds good with ours. Don't lie; it happens.

I'm not calling anyone out as much as I'm preaching to my own heart. I guess as a facilitator of this type of group at Discovery, I wonder what my role is in working toward this ideal. Isn't it a burden sometimes? Being an idealist? I'm not even sure where to start in this one.

1 comment:

Michael said...

It is not easy that is for sure. For me, I've come to the point of an uneasy "ceasefire" sort to speak. I'm learning more and more to trust God with my singleness and have seen the benefits that have come the last several years (being able to serve in Seattle).

However, that desire for a relationship is still there especially when I'm with a group of young married couples.

I think it's good to really think through and wrestle with God about things like that with the ultimate ending being trust in Him. I'm glad you're in a position to speak that into others lives