Single women sometimes struggle with being alone. Some hate living alone, going out alone and coming home from work and eating alone. Before Eve was created, God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone"(Ge 2:18). That statement would surely apply to the woman as well as to Adam. But the reality is that some of us are alone. We're single, and we're living a life of aloneness.
But while singles may be alone, we don't have to be lonely. Loneliness is an attitude, a state of mind. People can be lonely even in a crowd or at a party. It's not necessarily a lack of company that makes a person lonely. Loneliness is a decision; we can choose whether or not to be lonely. When we're lonely, it may mean that we have not yet learned to enjoy our own company. We have not yet realized the gift of aloneness.
Everyone--single or married--needs time to be alone. Aloneness is an investment in oneself. It's a time to recharge one's emotional and spiritual batteries, to think and pray, to gain insight or find a solution to a pressing problem, to rest after a battle or a long day, to find grace to deal with life and all of its challenges, to hear from God.
Jesus took full advantage of his singleness and moments of aloneness or solitude. Mark 1:35 says, "Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed."
It is when we are alone and still that God can speaks to us most profoundly. Didn't he tell the psalmist, "Be still, and know that I am God" (Ps 46:10)? We all need moments of aloneness to hear from God, reflect, meditate and recreate.
Embrace your time of singleness as a special time of aloneness with God, not as a time of loneliness.
My Personal Comments:
After my divorce, I thought i would have to hurry and remarry in order to not have to deal with being alone. I thought about my life up to that point and i had never been alone. I lived with my parents and siblings for 18 years, went straight to college and had roommates, then married, then later had a daughter. So i basically never knew what it like to be alone. Yes during those years i had experienced being lonely. But now that i have been alone for 8 years I am so glad i did not rush to remarry. I really feel blessed to have experience this alone time for many reasons. I know God knew that this time would be a time that many women and men would experience living alone. The point is being able to realize that it is truly a gift and a blessing from God in many situations. I embrace mine to the fullest. I still hope to get married someday but not just because i don't want to be alone.
