The Single Life: Cherish It

18 Sep, 2014 by Counter Cultured

Print this article Font size -16+

These days, it seems so many people in our generation are getting married. On Facebook, we often see new engagements or photos from recent weddings in our newsfeeds. We rejoice with these people as we celebrate a new chapter in their lives. However, many people in our generation might look at these instances and lament about being single, which is a great mistake.

In our culture, there is often a push to hook up, date immediately, or get married soon since our friends are getting married or to quickly get a legal stamp of approval for deep desires (you know what I’m talking about). At the same time, the single life is often condemned or celebrated in a distasteful way by, most namely, feminists, in the name of “gender equality” and disdain for marriage and family life.Hardly do we ever hear the single life discussed as a beautiful chapter in our lives by the media or in our culture. From my own experience, I have only seen that discussion brought forth by the Catholic Church and some Protestant denominations. However, one does not have to be religious to understand why being single for the time being is not a bad thing.

During the chapter of singleness in our lives, we have great opportunities that are not available to us once we enter married life. We have the opportunity to travel the world with our friends, lay the groundwork for our future careers, start college or return to graduate school, if we wish, hone our talents, and prepare ourselves to be successful adults who are ready for marriage when the time is right and if our hearts truly desire it.

Most importantly, the single life should be viewed as a gift in our lives, not with condemnation, as many of our friends start to get hitched. The single life truly provides us with the opportunity to work on our strengths and weaknesses before we meet the right person to share our lives with through matrimony. It also is a period in our lives where we can mature, emotionally and intellectually, before we are ready to make an important commitment and great life decisions.

Of course, nobody is going to be entirely prepared for marriage, as no marriage is perfect and couples learn how to make a marriage work after they say “I do.” But we should look at the single life as a wonderful stepping stone into that next chapter many people make in their lives.

If you’re single, relish this chapter in your life you will never be able to experience again, once you get married. Soak in all of its beauty and purpose.

This blog post was originally published on Counter Cultured’s “Relationships” column.