Southeast Texas Abstinence Ministry
Embracing the Single Life Part 3
This month SETX Church Guide has been featuring a special three part series from Southeast Texas abstinence ministry Armed and Virtuous. Today is the third and final installment in this series. We hope it will be a blessing in your life and your relationship with your child:
Hopefully, you’ve begun to fall more in love with Christ, and are finding Him to be the true source of your fulfillment. This week, in an effort to be content with the “single life,” we will explore one of the advantages of being free from romantic attachments.
According to Ecclesiastes 3:1-8, every season of life has a purpose, even the season of being single. God has special things for you to experience, lessons for you to learn, and work for you to do now that cannot happen later in life, so rather than sitting around feeling sorry for yourself, dive in and make the most of it!
What’s the biggest advantage to being single? In my opinion, it’s having complete freedom to explore what interests you, what you’re good at, and determine what plans God might have for your future. Don’t underestimate the value of this freedom. When you’re older, you will have adult responsibilities that will hinder your ability to do what you like. Even having a boyfriend in jr. high or high school can take up the time that God intends for your personal discovery, so take full advantage of your freedom now!
Start by taking inventory of your interests: What do you like? Are you creative? Are you technologically savvy? Are you musical or artistic? Do you like sports? Are you a math/science kind of person? Once you’ve determined this, dig deeper. What excites you? What peaks your interest and makes you want to learn more? What skills are you developing, and how can you further sharpen those skills? I was a singing/flute-playing/writing/drama person myself. I got involved in my school’s band and choir programs. I became involved in youth orchestra, youth choir and drama groups at my church, and I competed in fine arts festivals with writing and poetry entries.
Once you get involved with such activities, set some goals. Usually, these organizations have competitions or prizes to earn. Focus on reaching such goals. Then, determine which activities are simply hobbies, and which could lead to a future career. Even if you don’t intend to make your life’s work from a particular hobby, you could possibly win scholarship money for college. Just look around, ask your instructors, and most of all, pray. God gave you particular talents and interests for a specific reason, and He knows the path of your future. So, explore, improve yourself, and trust that God’s got everything under control.
What if you have a boyfriend? As I said before, dating is not sinful, but it can become all-consuming. If you are dating someone, take a step back and examine your daily schedule. Is this guy taking up most of your free time? Are you letting things go in order to spend time with him? Are friendships fading? Are your grades slipping? What about your personal interests? Are you losing sight of who you are as an individual? If so, the relationship has become unhealthy. Ask God to help you place dating in the proper perspective.
Talking on the phone, texting and social networking are great, but they have no lasting value. Enjoy these things, but don’t let them rule your life, either. Instead, focus on worthwhile activities that develop your God-given skills, and allow yourself to dream big dreams for your individual future. Lay these dreams at Jesus’ feet and trust that as you walk with Him, He will show you what to make a serious priority, what to enjoy for now, and what to let go for the better things He has in store.
What activities do you enjoy? Are you beginning to make plans for the future? Leave us a comment and share! We’ll be happy to pray for God’s perfect plan to unfold in your life.
My name is April M. Anderson, and I’m just a girl with a story. God laid a burden on my heart to pray for my husband when I was in the sixth grade. I prayed and waited for him for six years, dated him for three, and we’ve been married for 15 years. By God’s grace, both my husband and I were virgins on our wedding day and we’ve been living out our “happily ever after” from that day on!
Armed and Virtous Abstinence Ministry encourages young Southeast Texas women to save themselves for the husbands God is preparing for them.
We hope you’ve enjoyed today’s message from Southeast Texas abstinence ministry Armed and Virtuous.
For Southeast Texas parents, talking about abstinence can be a challenge. At SETX Church Guide, we hope making this series available has been helpful in encouraging you as you guide your
