Una soltera enfocada: 9 claves para las solteras

Single women make up a large part of modern society. We have all been, and could be, single again. To give us an idea, according to the census carried out in the United States in 2012, more than 44% of all US citizens over 18 years of age are single. With this reality in mind, here we present 9 keys for single Christians, given by nine different authors:

1. The key to experiencing contentment, a full life, and abundant joy while single is to discover and embrace God's plan and calling for our lives.

Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth wrote about this in her book Singled Out for Him :

"In the will of God, singleness is an incredible gift, it is to be received with gratitude and used for the glory of God... Over the years, I have realized that contentment is a choice."

«True joy is not the result of having everything I want, but of receiving with a grateful heart everything that God has given me...  The fact is, if we are not happy with what we have, we will never be happy with what we think we want."

2. God wants me to model femininity, regardless of my marital status, and also learn skills to minister to other sisters.

In Single and Satisfied , Audrey Lee Sands wrote about her arrival on the mission field and how she functioned there as a single woman. She discovered that although she was supposed to be under authority and be a lady, she was also expected to be more independent and self-sufficient than the wives who lived on the mission field. She wrote:

«You don't have to be masculine to know how to do some things. Being feminine does not mean that you are useless and that you become a nuisance to yourself.

3. I need to be radical about not “awakening” love until the appropriate time.

In her book, Confessions of a Boy-Crazy Girl , Paula Hendricks shares how she became radical in facing temptation in her own life and then now encourages teenage girls to do the same.

"While you and I have to wait for temptation, let's make sure we don't have to feed it!"

4. God expects me to maintain personal purity, whether I am single, married, or widowed.

Joy Jacobs and Deborah Strubel in their book titled: Single, Complete and Holy: Christian Women and Sexuality , recognize the struggle of women with their emotions, they tell us about how the battle for sexual purity "is a battle of the mind." In turn, they tell us that "our choices of thought determine our choices of feelings and behavior."

5. My desires are an instrument toward my holiness and greater intimacy with the God who loves me.

In the powerful book: Thrive: The Single Life as God Intended, Lina Abujamra writes:

«Your desires are not intended to defeat you. Your desires are a gift that God has given you to direct you to greater intimacy with Him. Your process of sanctification is the path to greater intimacy with the Lord, and is evidenced through increasing holiness in your life.

Younger single women, especially, might view holiness as archaic or boring. Abujamra understands that point:

Ahora mismo, eres demasiado divertida para ser santa. La santidad tiene una mala reputación. ¿Quién, en su sano juicio, quiere ser santa? ¿No podríamos conformarnos con ser simplemente normales?

Sin embargo, ella asegura a las lectoras que la santidad, bien entendida, es el plan de Dios para cada cristiana soltera, y Su meta para ti, si quieres avanzar en tu caminar como creyente.

6. Abrazaré el poder e influencia de mi feminidad, no solamente en mi ministerio, sino especialmente en mis relaciones con los hombres.

En Answering the Guy Questions (Respondiendo preguntas de los hombres), Leslie Ludy escribe:

«Como mujeres, tenemos un poder mayor de lo que podemos imaginar sobre el curso de la masculinidad. Podemos utilizar nuestra femineidad para influir en los hombres hacia la fortaleza o debilidad».

7. No me conformaré con menos de lo mejor de Dios respecto a una posible pareja.

Renee Fisher escribió acerca de este principio en Not Another Dating Book (No es otro libro sobre citas). En el devocional titulado «Más», ella les recuerda a las mujeres que esperar en Dios nunca es inútil. Esperar por Su mejor obra nunca es algo tonto. (Por otro lado, mientras estamos esperando y aprendiendo cómo reconocer lo que Dios quiere para nuestras vidas, también necesitamos recordar que todas somos carne frágil e imperfecta. El príncipe encantador y perfecto no existe. El único hombre perfecto fue Jesús. Confía en Dios en lugar de apoyarte en tu «propia prudencia. «No seas sabio a tus propios ojos» Prov. 3:5-7.

8. No colocaré mi vida «en modo de espera» hasta que llegue un hombre para llenar mi vida. Mis necesidades más profundas, especialmente las de amor, sólo son satisfechas a medida que me enfoco en Jesucristo.

Lydia Brownback explora esta verdad en su libro: Fine China Is for Single Women Too (La porcelana china también es para las solteras). Ella dice:

«La vida no empieza cuando te casas. ¡Ésta es tu vida! Nunca encontrarás contentamiento en vivir para lo que esperas que pudiera ocurrir mañana».

Brownback cita a Joshua Harris: «No hagas algo acerca de tu soltería; haz algo con ella». La porcelana china no es solamente para las mujeres casadas, nos dice, como tampoco lo es, una vida llena de propósito. Cada mujer soltera puede buscar a Dios para conocer las contribuciones únicas que Él le ha ordenado hacer por el Reino y para servir a los demás.

«Si persigues activamente un enfoque centrado en Cristo, en todo lo que seas y hagas, descubrirás que tu corazón y tu mente son transformados para desearle a Él por encima de cualquier otra cosa»

9. ¡Voy a perderme en Aquél que más me ama!

In the book Get Lost: Your Guide to Finding True Love , written by Dannah Gresh, she tells young girls to "hide so much in God" that a boy has to seek God first to find them. Gresh writes:

«My ungodly desires began to fade, and I submitted to God's desires for me. "I was able to address this topic of boy/girl relationships with the incredible certainty and joy that the God of the universe had a good plan for me, and I needed to stop mixing it up with mine."

These authors have much more to share than what is published here. If you are single, you are not alone, although sometimes you feel alone and confused. God wants to draw you into his heart so that you can join the great adventure that He has planned for you. All God asks of you is that you be a single person focused on Him.

Which of these teachings have impacted you ? What is God teaching you as a single Christian ?