“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” – John 16:33
When we were children, we all had dreams and aspirations of what we want to happen when we grew up. Most of us had the same dream of growing up, finding the right person, and getting married. However, the reality for some, is that it is much harder than we think it is.
Growing up and getting married isn’t as straightforward as we are led to believe. We are spoon-fed the idea that it easy. Movies, television shows, books and even what are friends and family tell us makes it look like it is a given. As we progress through life, we expect it to happen but what happens when it doesn’t?
The world is a broken place, and it is getting more broke as the years go by. Things don’t happen as we expect they would or should. Even though the Bible says that it is not good for a man (or a woman) to be alone (Genesis 2:18), it is unfortunately becoming the norm in today’s world.
In most cases, it isn’t our fault that things don’t turn out in the prescribed manner. Life has a way of interfering with our thoughts and plans. The truth is no-one can really plan on how their life will turn out. In fact, life itself is an unknown entity and the only one who knows how it will turn out is God.
God knows how many days we have and how we will spend them. He knows when or if we will get married and the times when we feel lonely. When he created man and woman, the original plan was for them to be together. Unfortunately, it was destroyed, and loneliness came into the world.
In this world, nothing is permanent, not even the most loving and stable marriages. Even though God may bless a marriage, you still must work at it to make it succeed. Both the husband and wife have to learn not just to be reliant on each other but reliant on God as well. The same goes for those who never married or find the right partner. We may think that we are on own, but we are not. Coming to the realisation that God is there for us is also harder than you think.
As a single person, you tend to focus in on your own needs and feelings. Even those who have accepted Jesus into their lives, get caught up in this way of living. They get so busy on focussing on an earthly partner that they forget they have a spiritual one, who is closer than a friend (or lover) can ever be.
Jesus reassured us that He has overcome the world. This includes the times when things don’t go to plan. The world’s plans are not God’s plans. Even if your plans don’t go the way you thought they would, you can rest assured that God is there for you. He will sustain you when times are tough and harder than you think.
Originally published October 2019