Lydia Brownback has written a beautiful piece for Desiring God titled, “Single Is Never Second Best.” It’s full of hope and biblical clarity for singles struggling to have a Christ-exalting perspective on their marital status.

I appreciate Brownback’s emphasis on knowing and trusting God, paired with the companionship of the church, but what stood out to me most from the article was one short section.

As we abide in Christ, we stop viewing singleness as a problem to be solved. Since there will be no marriage in heaven except the marriage between Christ and the church (Matthew 22:30; Revelation 19:7), singles are uniquely equipped to show others a preview of what heaven will be like. [emphasis added]

This is why singleness is actually a sign of hope rather than despair. We can showcase this hope to our married brothers and sisters by how we handle our singleness. 

Singleness, for however long it lasts, is not meant to be a mere waiting game. It’s not an inferior experience to marriage. Instead, it’s a unique embodiment of life in Heaven. In our future home of glory, marriage among created people won’t exist – but we won’t be any worse off for it. Instead, our hope and joy will be full, our inner sense of feeling loved will be bursting full, because we’ll be with Jesus. Life now may only be a shadow of things to come, but our true Husband is still with us. And because He is…

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord
forever. (Psalm 23:6)

While God is faithful to change hearts and minds in the lives of His children, we also understand that change is a process, and often times far from simplistic or quick. Habits of life and thinking tend to change over time as the Holy Spirit works in hearts. This process of change is called “progressive sanctification.” It can be helpful and sometimes necessary to seek help from other Christians who can faithfully lead and walk with us, providing biblical encouragement and instruction along the way for the implementation of God-honoring, Christ-centered change. If you are struggling with life’s challenges, we would encourage you to seek help from your pastor, a godly friend, or a biblical counselor who is committed to seeking answers from God’s Word. To find a biblical counselor you can contact us or visit biblicalcounseling.com to find a counselor in your area.