Benefits of being single

“Jesus replied, ‘Not everyone can accept this word, but only those to whom it has been given. For some are eunuchs because they were born that way; others were made that way by men; and others have renounced marriage because of the kingdom of heaven. The one who can accept this should accept it.’” Matthew 19:11-12
This is a verse that is difficult to take in, so it’s just as well Jesus started by saying, ‘Not everyone can accept this word.’ However it’s one that I have come to be able to accept, as someone who is single, so for that reason I’d like to share with you what it means to me.
First we come across the word ‘eunuch’. Traditionally, a eunuch was a castrated man, employed as a guard over a king’s harem. By extension it came to mean a royal official. It can also be used more generally of an unmarried person, and this verse can be interpreted in this way.
So what Jesus is saying is that a single life is not for everyone, but those who can live a single life, should. Paul said a similar thing: “I would like you to be free from concern. An unmarried man is concerned about the Lord’s affairds – how he can please the Lord. But a married man is concerned about the affairs of this world – how he can please his wife – and his interests are divided. An unmarried woman or virgin is concerned about the Lord’s affairs: Her aim is to be devoted to the Lord in both body and spirit. But a married woman is concerned about the affairs of this world – how she can please her husband. I am saying this for your own good, not to restrict you, but that you may live in a right way in undivided devotion to the Lord” (1 Cor. 7:32-35). One of the major benefits of being single is that your focus can be completely on God and serving Him.
“Now to the unmarried and the widows I say: It is good for them to stay unmarried, as I am. But if they cannot control themselves, they should marry, for it is better to marry than to burn with passion” (1 Cor. 7:8-9). At the time Paul wrote this letter, he was single (some say he must have been married at an earlier time, because he was a member of the Sanhedrin, which required him to be married). This also shows an aspect that has plagued the Catholic church by enforcing celibacy on its ministers. Marriage is not a sin; if you are strongly desiring to be married, then you should do so (being led by the Lord, and marrying a believer, of course). After all, God instituted marriage in the first place. “But if you do marry, you have not sinned; and if a virgin marries, she has not sinned. But those who marry will face many troubles in this life, and I want to spare you this” (1 Cor. 7:28).
Singleness can be hard at times, especially when your friends and siblings are all getting married; you can literally be the ‘odd one out’. It is something that you need to be sure that God has called you to. It can be lonely, sometimes. But it’s in those times that God will minister to you in a special way, when you cry out to Him. So if you are single, and this verse speaks to you, rejoice and serve God with all that you have. In heaven, there is no marriage or married couples (Matt. 22:30). Our focus will be on serving God. So living a single life now, is kind of like a head start for heaven.
This post is a little more personal than usual, so if you can identify with this, please feel free to leave a comment...