Purposeless vs. Servant-hearted

What’s the point? We clock out of our nine-to-five, scrape away the leftovers from another home-cooked meal or beat another PB at the Park Run. But why? We’re just treading water, aren’t we? Building ourselves up for marriage, waiting for God to grant us our true purpose as a husband or wife?

Has it ever occured to you that this way of thinking limits God’s power to move in your life? That by focusing only on one gift, one role, one relationship, we are underestimating God?

Friend, this life is not a character-building obstacle course with a spouse at the end of it. This life is a marathon of serving God until we reach him. This is incredibly exciting news! Christ himself has asked us to work for him. He has given us pastors and teachers to equip us for this ‘work of service’. You are charged with this calling, right here as you are, in your singleness.

The reality is that with our singleness comes the absolute gift of time and the freedom to spend it as we choose. One day we might look back and find the expanse of hours we now have to work out, socialise and read are filled with untimely discussions with a spouse, anxieties over planning a wedding, school-runs and parents evenings i.e. things we have no control over. The time we have now is an opportunity from God to serve him: work gives the opportunity to give to charity; cooking for your family or housemates is a chance to serve; the parkrun on Saturday is an opportunity to witness. The greatest antidote to self-pity is serving others. So this is your prompt. Grab a new book from your Church book stall, get inspired. Volunteer, give, support, whatever you can. Your singleness is God-given time and freedom in your hands.

Action points:

1. Do some research into a cause you don’t know anything about.
2. Do something! Volunteer at a soup kitchen, apply to be a Samaritan, cook a meal for that family at church who are struggling, babysit for a family member. Don’t overthink it, just do it.