As long as one has breath, there should never be a time to stop developing oneself. But the best time to do so to an appreciable level is when nothing stops you- When you are single. At this stage, you owe no one any responsibility unlike when you are married and the care for husband and children envelops you. Any step you want to take has to be with the consent of your spouse. There are many decisions you can’t even take because your family is under consideration.
The Bible acknowledges this fact in 1 Cor. 7:32-34 - the unmarried man or woman is more concerned about pleasing the Lord whereas the married man or woman is more concerned about pleasing his or her spouse (paraphrased). The same way there isn't much time for a married person to develop oneself spiritually is the same way there's no much time to develop oneself intellectually. Therefore, utilize your singlehood by taking decisions that would help build you e.g:
Develop the habit of fasting;
Have a prayer life;
Go to school;
Read;
Engage in academic discussions;
Attend seminars;
Know a bit of everything;
Always take advantage of exposure... basically, just add value to yourself.
You bring to the marriage what you acquire as a single person. The more value you add to yourself, the more value you bring to someone else.
I came out from one relationship that I thought would work and one of the things God told me was that I had not developed myself enough and I wanted to get married. As a single lady, I get so “busy” that I don’t keep to my prayer time, as a single, it takes me long to finish reading a book because I am “busy” What will I do when I am married with more responsibilities? So I discovered I have a lot of planning to do. I even developed a blog to speak to single ladies but trust me the write ups speak to me first.
It should be an all round development- spiritual, mental, physical, emotional… it is not enough to say these things. I need to start acting, you need to start acting now when nothing stops you.
Peace…
Deborah.
It should be an all round development- spiritual, mental, physical, emotional… it is not enough to say these things. I need to start acting, you need to start acting now when nothing stops you.
Peace…
Deborah.
