ON BEING AN OLDER SINGLE WOMAN

I am now 37 years old, and I am still single while I desire marriage. If you don't already grasp it, let me let you in on some of the pain of being in this position. I want you to have compassion and not judgment for we who are in this place. So often I get told that marriage isn't all its cracked up to be or to have faith and contentment with where God has me in life. And while I fully acknowledge that both of these things are true, I often wonder if whoever is saying that to me is just wanting some pain avoidance - they'd rather try and put a band aid on than to sit with a woman in her pain for a moment. I fully admit that I have tons of room to grow in faith and contentment in the Lord. I've been told that the emotions of a woman who longs to be married but is older and still single are very similar to that of a man out of work who cannot provide for his family. This is because they are not quite doing what they were best made to do. Now of course there is the fact that we find our worth in the Lord alone, not in what we are doing, so not doing something does not make us lesser by any means. Here I am feeling like I have to dispute all the arguments to why I should not be sad, but if you are going to hear me then you are going to hear me. So I'll get on with it. Its painful to long to be married, to know deep down that I was created to be a helper to another, and to not be doing that, while I so long to be doing that. Of course, I will continue to live my life and continue to cry out to Jesus as I hurt, and all does not go on hold until I am married. I may never get to marry, since even though I am created for it, this is a fallen world after all and much that is supposed to happen, doesn't happen. And I have a pretty good idea some of what I'll do with my life if I never marry. However, I really want you to remember your single sisters in Christ, maybe invite them to be a part of your family, even meals, as often as possible, and pray for their hearts when they are longing for marriage.