Today is day I have often wished to remove from the calendar.
Most days, being single isn't a big deal to me, even if it's not what I had hope for at this point in my life. But, today, it feels like it declares that something is very wrong with me.
February 14.
Valentine's Day.
It's a day when it feels like being single is something you need to hide. A day where you don't feel welcome in most places because everything is set up for and focused on couples. If you, as a single person, show up somewhere you're often seen as messing up the natural order of things even more than usual.
As it approached this year, I was dreading it even more than usual, but I wasn't really sure why.
When the opportunity to do something with others who were also single came up, I jumped on board quickly.
But, that still didn't remove the question of why I had been dreading this day even more than usual this year.
Then, a few nights ago, I was at a gathering for singles and I heard someone else put words to why.
It can be a lonely night when you're longing for connection with people. Feeling like most of society expects you to stay home along that evening because you don't have a significant other emphasizes and amplifies any loneliness you may already be feeling. Maybe even more as we seek to rebuild the connection opportunities that were lost through a couple years of COVID.
So, maybe I dread today a little bit less now because I know I will have some fun with other singles. That I will have that connection I crave and the God created us for.
But, think this leads to a bigger question that I've been talking about in the last couple of blog posts I wrote as well.
If God created us for community and connection with each other, how do we create that in our churches - for every adult, whether married or single?
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