Single?

I'm not a relationship counselor by any means, but singles this post is for you. We live in a world that if you're single you're an outcast. IT"S OKAY TO BE SINGLE.

There are so many books and blogs on how to marry well and have successful relationships—but none on how to stay single well. The gift of singleness is the grace of singleness. When was the last time you heard someone praise God for their singleness? When was the last time someone pointed out how singleness is good for us—not how much it hurts us?

A lot of good can come from being single. 1) It's a time with no responsibility. 2) It's a time where you can grow yourself and find your identity. It's hard to help other people grow if you aren't grown yourself. 3) Singleness has its own unique kind of freedom. 4) You don't have that heavy pressure to constantly be trying to please someone else.

While your single, make the most out of it. Learn from it. 1 Corinthians 10:31 states, "So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God." Are you using your singleness for the glory of God?

Don't be in a relationship just to be in a relationship. That has failure written all over it. Not only does that set you up for failure, that sets up your significant other for failure as well. Successful relationships are all about self-sacrifice. Wrong motives, not being able to handle adversity, dishonesty, lack of maturity, and lack of communication destroys relationships.

Dating to date is a recipe for disaster. Personally, if you don't think you can marry the person you're currently "dating" or "seeing" you're just wasting your time. That's how people get hurt. Jefferson Bethke said it best, "Dating with no intent to marry is like going to the grocery store with no money. You either leave unhappy or take something that isn't yours."

If you're not single—I have a question for you. Would you want your future kids turning out like your current boyfriend or girlfriend? If not, maybe it's time to split.

I look back from personal experience with relationships and see a dark cloud. Many reasons why they didn't work out were the reasons I stated above. I've went through a lot of heartbreak. I've made a lot of mistakes that I'm not proud of—but those mistakes continue to mold me into the man I'm becoming today. Maturity has given me liberties that I wouldn't change. Looking at my past in the rear-view mirror I thank God I made it through.

God gives us sufficient grace while we are single. In the Bible, the apostle Paul encourages everyone to be single. (1 Corinthians 7:7-8) I encourage you to read the whole chapter of 1 Corinthians 7. It nails singleness right on the head. Paul wrote a majority of the New Testament and was one of the coolest dudes to ever walk the plant. He goes on in 1 Corinthians 7:24 to say, "So, brothers, in whatever condition each was called, there let him remain with God." If right now I'm called to be single—I'm going to rock it and you should too.

We feel like when we're single we're missing out. We're never alone. Never. Don't believe that lie. Never hurry into a relationship. You don't want a man or woman that God hasn't brought into your life. If you're single God has you right where he wants you to be. Trust in God and his timing—he's more than enough.