Friends are getting engaged. Wedding photos are flooding our feeds. The baby announcements are rolling in like clockwork. Life is moving quite fast for others, but for the single person, it can feel like they’re stuck in one place.
It’s like we’ve missed a turn—like we turned left when the world stayed right. Or, even more frightening, like maybe God has forgotten our number.
I know that tension. I’ve lived it. But what I want to say today is this:
Your singleness is not a sign of failure, or delay, or punishment—it might just be the best thing for you.
When Progress Looks Different
For a long time, I assumed that marriage would be the real start of life. That everything before it was just a prelude. And so, when the years went by without a spouse, I naturally fell into discouragement. The result? I felt behind. Disoriented. Even distressed.
But then, I stumbled across a passage of Scripture, and it greatly challenged my thoughts on singleness. In 1 Corinthians 7, the apostle Paul says:
“To the unmarried and the widows I say that it is good for them to remain single, as I am … to secure your undivided devotion to the Lord.” —1 Corinthians 7:8, 35 ESV
It is good for them to remain single? How can that be?
Paul was not dismissing marriage; he was simply pointing out something that many of us miss:
Being single can actually be an advantage.
The Beauty of Being “Unscheduled”
When you’re single, your time is your own. That’s not a limitation—it’s a gift.
You can linger longer in prayer. You can be radically available to serve, to create, to grow. You can drop everything to follow God’s nudge—because you’re not coordinating with someone else’s calendar.
Singleness gives you a rare opportunity: to be fully God’s, without distractions. But here’s the thing: spiritual maturity often happens slowly. God isn’t in a rush, and He’s not grading your life with milestones like marriage or parenthood.
Of course, that doesn’t mean that singleness is easy.
There are days when the silence stings. When the longing catches you off guard. When it feels like no one sees you—not even God.
I get that.
I’ve had those nights when you lie in bed and wonder, Is it always going to be like this? Nights when hope feels heavy and faith feels far.
But it’s in those very moments—the ones we’d rather avoid—that God does His most intimate work. He draws near to the brokenhearted (Psalm 34:18). He comforts those who mourn.
I’m learning that loneliness doesn’t mean something is wrong with me; it just means I’m a human. With that understanding, the questions I have always framed as, “Why am I stuck? Why are we not moving forward?” have turned into something else:
“What if I’m exactly where God wants me to be?”
Final Thoughts
If you find yourself in a season of singleness, wondering why others seem to be moving forward while you stand still, let me remind you of a few things:
1. You are not falling behind.
God’s timeline for your life is not measured by Instagram posts or family pressures. He sees you. He knows your desires. He knows what He is doing.
2. You are not overlooked.
Your singleness isn’t evidence of God’s absence—it’s an opportunity for His presence. Sometimes what feels like stillness is actually His hand holding you steady. He allows for the void so that He can step in.
3. You are not less valuable.
You are whole, right now. You are loved, right now. Marriage may be part of your story one day—but it will never be the whole story. These days are equally valuable as those days will be.
The world might call singleness a delay, but God calls this season something else entirely: a blessing. It isn’t wasted time, it is sacred time. According to Paul, it might even be a better time.
So then, take a deep breath and be still today. Know that God is doing something special in this season of life—something you couldn’t rush, even if you tried.
He is the Strength that we find in our singleness.
Written by Bob Wheatley
Bob is the #1 Bestselling Author of Single-Minded: Finding Purpose & Strength in Your Season of Singleness. Click HERE to download his entire audiobook, completely free. We hope you enjoy it!
Featured Image by rajprakash2217 from Pixabay
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