It's Sunday Morning

For many of us, as we progress through the week, we look forward to the weekend. We’ve worked hard and gotten out of bed earlier than we would like. The weekend affords the opportunity to slow down a little. But as it often turns out, our weekends can be just as hectic as our workweek.

How about Sunday morning? Do we look forward to that day? Sunday morning should be a time of renewed fellowship with like-minded Christians. We all have gone through our challenges during the week and Sunday morning is an opportunity to reflect on what has happened and become revitalized for what is to come.

It is my prayer that single Christians will look forward to Sunday morning with as much anticipation as they look forward to the weekend. Sunday morning is you and God time! What can be better than that? A direct result of this special time is a renewed understanding of how to better relate to others and a growing awareness of those areas in our lives we need to work on. We should not leave the worship experience as convinced of our false sense of perfection as when we entered! Also, Sunday morning should be a time we look at ourselves and leave the judgments and “holier than thou” sentiments in the sea of forgetfulness.

Thank God its Sunday Morning!

My New Years Resolution For 2006

At the beginning of 2006, I made the resolution to use technology to better connect with people. My intention was to use the internet, emails, the telephone, text messages and whatever else I could think of to establish and maintain more solid relationships. To fulfill this resolution, I sent one-to-one emails (not group or junk emails), text messages, made phone calls, sent personal e-card greetings to people on their birthdays, emailed holiday greetings (Memorial Day, July 4th, Thanksgiving and Christmas) to everyone in my contact list, etc.

So how did I do or more specifically, did I succeed in establishing and maintaining more solid relationships in 2006? If I had to grade myself on my 2006 resolution, I would give myself a D minus. Why so low? Because I was not able to achieve the kinds of improved or deeper relationships I was seeking. One thing I learned about people in general is that most people are not willing to go beyond the surface in their relationships with others. It seems we are all content to have acquaintances, but not real deep friends. I cannot tell you the amount of unreturned phone calls, un-answered emails, dangling text messages and lack of signs of appreciation for e-card birthday greetings I have experienced in 2006. For the most part, the same people who wished me happy birthday before 2006 were the same people who did the same this year. So, my “failure” is the fault of other people, right?

Wrong! I take full responsibility for my lack of success in fulfilling my 2006 resolution. While it would be easy for me to point fingers at others and say they “failed”, I believe the truth lies in the fact that I could have done more. (See my series of posts on “DO MORE” dated the week of December 11th through December 15th). As I reflect on my efforts in 2006, I should have done a better job of letting people know how much I sincerely care for them. (See “Seriously, I Do Care For You” on September 13th). For whatever reason, I was not able to connect in such a way with people that they wanted to connect with me. That is not their problem, but mine. I see myself as a very caring, open and compassionate person, but apparently, I have not expressed those qualities sincerely enough for other people to recognize. So, from this point on, I will try to be even more caring, open and compassionate. I will try to be even more like Jesus in my interactions with people. Pray for me that my efforts in the future will not only lead to more fulfilling relationships, but will also help me to receive a higher grade!

Stuck Like Chuck

On Christmas day, I had the privilege of serving meals to the homeless at the Salvation Army. It was a good experience and one that I think everyone should participate in. The experience was all the more interesting to me because I was employed there as the Assistant Director of Financial Development about five years ago. In that capacity, I was able to meet many of the residents at that time and I have heard many of their stories that led them to their homeless condition.

While serving on Christmas day, I met one person who was a resident of the Salvation Army while I was employed there. Seeing him there that day led me to think that some things never change. But, before I could go too far in pitying him, I also thought about me. How much has changed for me in the past 5 years?

• The amount in my savings account is about the same as it was 5 years ago.
• I am still one or two paychecks away from needing the services of the Salvation Army as I was 5 years ago.
• I did not have a girlfriend then and I don’t have one now.
• I have about the same amount of friends as I did 5 years ago.
• And the list goes on….
  
  

How about you? How many of you are stuck like chuck in your singleness?

• Do you still hold on to the same views of your singleness that you had 5 years ago?
• Are you still as scared of intimacy as you were then?
• Are you still as confused by the actions of the members of the opposite sex as you were in the past?
• Do you still have trouble finding true love as you did 5 years ago?
• Are you still as driven by your fears and your ego as you were in the past?
• And the list goes on….
  
  

Most of us singles can look back on our lives and see that we have not really changed all that much. The number one reason why we have not changed is because of our fears. God has given us the capacity to grow, but many of us are afraid of the process of change. What will we have to let go? What will we have to give up? What demons will we have to face? Often by default, we choose to hold on to what is familiar even though we know that will keep us stuck like chuck.

How crazy is that?

In the upcoming year, let’s resolve to get “unstuck” and leave ole Chuck behind. God is calling us to be more, be better and be different. With His guidance, what is it that we are afraid of?

My Prayer For You is For More Buckets!!

2007 is fast approaching and now is the time to prepare for its arrival. Are you ready for the blessings God has for you? I pray that you will have many buckets to capture each and every blessing that spills from God’s storehouse windows. This is one case when you cannot have too many buckets!

Chances are, you and I want the same things.

• To be in God’s will
• To be prosperous
• To be healthy
• To love and be loved
• To be affirmed
  
  

We want these things so badly that sometimes we can almost touch them, feel them, taste them and hold them. But so many of these things have eluded us at one time or another. Will this be the case in 2007?

My prayer for you is that if God must choose between us as to who will receive these things, that He will choose you. (See “My New Year’s Resolution” dated December 20, 2006) If one of us is to go through another year with their dreams unfulfilled, let that person will be me, not you. If only one of us will prosper in 2007, I ask God to let it be you. If He must choose between you and I as to who will find true love, then I defer to you.

May 2007 be the greatest year of your life, but not as great as the many years to come. My prayer for you today is that God will bless you beyond your expectations and that you will grow into more of what He has envisioned for you to become.

Now, go out there and get some more buckets!

My New Year's Resolution

It’s that time of year again! A time to reflect on another year almost past. A time to ponder what might have been and what should not have been.

This is also a time to look forward to another year of unrealized possibilities. What good things does the New Year have in store? What challenges will rise up? While we acknowledge the potential struggles, we most often expect (and hope for) the upcoming year to be “our year”.

When it comes to New Year’s resolutions, we make promises to ourselves that we sincerely intend to keep at the time we make them. Lose a few pounds. Eat less. Exercise more. Start that business. Find true love. Lose “bad” love. We vow that next year this time, we will be able to reflect on the great strides we have made on staying true to our resolutions. But often, our resolutions end up being trampled on by our good intentions and shifting priorities.

My prayer for you is that whatever your New Year’s resolutions, you will keep them and that you will be a better person because of them.

For me, my resolution this year is not going to be about me. I often talk about a spirit of service that Christian singles should have. Sure I could stand to lose a few pounds. Most definitely I have books I want to publish and businesses I want to start. I am confident that those things will come to pass. However, my focus this year is on making a spirit of service my main trademark when it comes to my interactions with others. So, I will continue to pray for you by name. I will continue to offer encouraging words. I will not stop doing the things for you that I believe God wants me to do for you. But that is not all I resolve to do.

In 2007, my New Year’s resolution is to help at least five people achieve their dreams. There are people out there who have definite plans to accomplish and I want to do what I can to help them. If you have a goal that you have set, I am available to you. I will not impose myself on you by trying to shape your dream. Rather, if you come to me, I will do what I can to make your dreams a reality. So, if you believe I can help you get to wherever you are trying to go, come to me.

Between you, me and God’s purposeful will, 2007 can definitely be your year!

Introducing Jesus

At the end of Steve Harvey’s monologue, “Don’t Trip, He Ain’t Through With Me Yet”, he presents a scenario of how he would introduce Jesus. What a blessed opportunity to be able to announce the appearance of the Son of God! One could not help but experience a mixture of awe, nervousness, fear, pride and joy upon taking on this great task. Harvey’s version of this introduction started calmly but gradually increased in volume and excitement until his climatic praises was matched by the intensity of the audience’s thunderous applause. Only Jesus could get a standing ovation even before He appears on the stage.

For single Christians, we also have the opportunity to introduce Jesus. As great as He is, sometimes He can be presented through seemingly small acts of kindness or soothing whispers of concern. Many people claim to know Him, but very few really have a personal and intimate relationship with Him. But we really know Him, don’t we? Then let’s not shrink from the blessed opportunity to introduce to some and present to others this man called Jesus.

Our voices can be lifted in a passionate expression of praise as we describe our savior and friend. Our hearts may beat a little faster and our breath may get caught up in a whirlwind of emotion. Words may appear inadequate as we try to accurately portray the One responsible for saving our souls. While we recognize that we can never earn His love, we understand that we can try to live up to it. But how can we effectively introduce Jesus to a world desperately in need of His saving power?

Which version of Jesus do we portray to those we interact with?

• When we elevate our egos over the will of God, we present Jesus as our slave
• When we succumb to sexual temptation, we introduce Jesus as too weak to keep us from falling
• When we do more complaining about our circumstances than praising God for His providence, we show Jesus as being wimpy and whiny
• When we refuse to humble ourselves in a spirit of service to others, we demonstrate Jesus as being selfish
• When we are more intent on getting even than on forgiving others and turning the other cheek, we reveal Jesus as being petty
• When our behaviors our guided by worldly conventional wisdom at the expense of our spirituality, we display Jesus as being a fraud
• When we treat our ex-romantic partners as badly as they treated us, we exhibit Jesus as being vindictive
  
  

How is it that the Jesus we learned about in church is so different from the one we introduce in our daily actions, words and thoughts? Perhaps instead of presenting Him, we should apologize TO Him!

"Lord, we are sorry for portraying you in the wrong light. Please forgive us for presenting you as less than what you really are. Our lifestyles should proclaim your greatness, your graciousness, your unconditional love and your keeping power. But the things we do and the way we treat others makes you appear as somebody not worthy to be honored."

My prayer is that Christian singles will submit to God’s will and adopt the kind of lifestyle that will make for an introduction of Jesus that He would be proud of.

Solitude Is Not For Everyone

Because of God’s grace, there are some things He keeps us from having to go through that we are not able to handle. We may think we are as bad as we wanna be and nothing can get the best of us, but most of us are smart enough to know that we are not “all that”. We may never admit it, but there are some challenges or fears or people or whatever that we are no match for. Thank God for His keeping power!

I think solitude is one of those things that some people cannot handle. For those people, they would rather go to the dentist than have to deal with being alone. For these people, they will do all kinds of things to avoid the “curse” of being alone including staying in bad relationships, getting together with old boyfriends or girlfriends who they know are not good for them, wandering aimlessly around public places like the mall or clubs or joining organizations to just be around other people. Hey whatever works!

For me, I spend a lot of time by myself. I admit that it is not always something I voluntarily do, but that is the way things are for me. It’s kind of funny at times that people will not believe me when I say that I spend what I think are inordinate portions of my weekends and holidays alone. They assume that everybody has other people in their lives, but for me that has not been the case for quite some time.

Because I spend a lot of time alone, I spend much time thinking about me or more specifically, what things about me I should change or work on. I also think about what few special relationships I have and those other relationships that showed promised but never really materialized. As a writer, spending time alone has helped me to finish one more chapter, write one more essay and do more research. I thank God that although I am alone and I sometimes feel lonely (there is a difference!), I am able to stay focused on Him and on those things He wants me to do.

No, solitude is not for everyone. If that is not your struggle, then praise God. I pray that you will cherish the relationships you have with family, friends and romantic partners that keep you from being by yourself. If you struggle with solitude, my prayer is that God will help you rise above its clutches.

For all of us Christian singles, we should do what we can to help our fellow singles make it through their times of solitude. All it may take is a short email or a quick call or a genuine hug of affection or a little card sent through the mail to let someone know that they are not really secluded and that you care.

Solitude is not for everyone, but being a genuine friend can be.

Get It? Got It? Good! - DO MORE, Part V

The theme for this week is DO MORE. The challenge before us, if we choose to accept it, is to not settle for our current status, but strive to go beyond that. Some of us may say that enough is already being done and nothing else is left to do. Imagine if God had said that?

• "I created the world, what else do they want?"
• "I made mankind in my image, what else do they need?"
• "I have given them the capacity to grow and develop, what else are they looking for?"
• "I have loved them unconditionally, what else do they want me to do?"
  

But thankfully, He did not say those things. Rather, He chose to DO MORE. Get it, Got it, Good!

Back to the challenge. It's not like there are not any benefits to putting into practice the lessons of DO MORE. More fulfilling relationships is one key positive outcome we can look forward to. I don't know about you, but I am sick and tired of being sick and tired of all of those relationships that left me feeling unfulfilled. So yes, I will take up the challenge to DO MORE. Prayerfully, I will develop relationships with other people of the same mindset. How about you?

Serve Me - DO MORE, Part IV

Why are so many of our relationships full of bitterness, frustration, anger, confusion or pain? The short answer is our pride! Our pride keeps us from:

• Making that call
• Saying we are sorry
• Opening our hearts
• Returning that call
• Telling someone that we love them
• Sending that email
• Buying that gift
• Taking that person out to dinner
• Asking that person for his or her number

It is a shame that we allow our egos to keep us from the many good things that life has to offer. Too many of us place a higher value on our egos than we do on our happiness. What a downright dirty shame!

Service is one of those things that most of us refuse to do. We view service as a sign of weakness or as something that makes us look stupid. What most of us do not realize is that service is an accurate barometer of the Godly love we possess. There is a direct relationship between the amount of Godly love we have and the quality of our spirit of service. Put more simply, the more we love, the more we will serve others. This truism applies to all of our relationships.

So, if you want to DO MORE in your relationship with me, then you must serve me. Even as I write this, I feel “funny” because service tends to make both the server and the person being served feel uncomfortable. Why? Without going into detail, our discomfort with service is also about our pride. We want healthy relationships, but we want to preserve our egos more.

When you serve me, you are demonstrating your level of love for me. If you put more effort in telling me how you will NOT serve me, then you are showing me how shallow your love is. There is no getting around it, Christian singles should serve others more.

In our relationship, as you are serving me, I should be serving you. It is not about keeping score or only serving when being served. Service is something we should offer regardless of what the other person is doing. Healthy relationships are built on mutual service and we all have the right to redefine relationships that do not have this balance. Service is something that we should always offer, but the more intimate the relationship, the more intense the level of service.

So, to DO MORE in our relationships, we have to stop letting our egos mess things up. Aren’t we tired of being involved in interactions with people that leave us tired, frustrated, confused, hurt, embarrassed or angry? That ain’t nothing (apologies to all of my English teachers) but our pride! I pray that all of us will drop-kick pride out of our relationships and learn the blessed benefits of exhibiting a genuine spirit of service.

Get Me (DO MORE, Part III)

Continuing in the mode of my last two posts, I want to talk about how I think we can DO MORE in our relationships. As we look around, all of us either are experiencing or can see others who are experiencing relationships that are not mutually beneficial to the persons involved. A major reason I perceive for this is that many of us are focused on the wrong side of “getting”. We are trying to get love, get revenge, get healed, get sex, get rich, get on top, get over or get by. Each of those “gets” are about you. I know for me and it is probably the same for you, when it comes to platonic, familial or romantic relationships, I want you to GET ME.

Yesterday, I talked about doing a better job of expressing my needs. While my main focus will continue to be on fulfilling your needs, I do need to set aside some of my time and energies to communicate what my needs are. (My opinion is that the split should be 80% focus on you and 20% on me.) If I better communicate what my necessities are, then you will be better positioned to GET ME. What do I mean by GET ME?

• First of all, you have to possess a DESIRE to want to understand me. If you do not have that desire, then we cannot have a healthy relationship.
• Listen to me for understanding when I talk, not to accumulate fodder for arguments.
• Ask me questions about what I have said for the sake of understanding, not debate.
• Don’t put me in a conceptual box based on your experiences. Rather, be open to letting me be what I am.
• Pray that God will reveal Himself to me.
• Pray that God will use you to reveal Himself to me.
• Be willing to serve me in a spirit of Godly love. (Remember, Godly love ALWAYS looks out for what is best for the other person.)
• Don’t view me as a challenge to be overcome, but as another of God’s creations to be loved and honored.
• Don’t limit your thoughts of me to what I can do for you. Let me focus on what I can do for you.
  
  

In my desire to have a positive and healthy relationship with you, I will be doing all of the above for you. In other words, I will be working on GETTING YOU as you will be working on GETTING ME. If we stay true to the notion of GET ME, we will have more satisfying and fulfilling relationships. We both will be affirmed and empowered to be more like what God has envisioned for us to be. Our lives will be enhanced by the very real prospect of being able to DO MORE.

DO MORE, Part 2

In yesterday’s post, I mentioned that this time of the year is one of introspection for me. During this time of thinking and wondering, I have come to realize that I have dropped the ball in many of my relationships. Yesterday, I tried to drive home the point that each of us should work on ourselves instead of pointing out what others are doing wrong. Today, I want to discuss one way that I (and hopefully you also) can DO MORE in our relationships.

As I think about relationships that have begun with a lot of promise, yet ended with those promises unfulfilled, I now see where I have contributed to their demise. In other posts, I have urged all of us to think more about the other person’s needs and stop worrying about our own. I believe that is still the best way to have positive relationships. But, I also understand that I have not done a good job of clearly expressing what my needs are. Most of my interactions with people have gone sour because the “other” person was not meeting my needs. But it really wasn’t their fault because I did not do a good job of telling them what my needs were. There are two problems I see with not letting people know what I need:

1. Even when I do not express them, my needs still exist. As the relationship progressed, those needs went unsatisfied and eventually that leads to bitterness, frustration, a sense of emptiness or confusion. None of these things are good for a relationship! While I was focused on what the other person needed, I wasn’t giving them enough information to fulfill my needs. This is problematic because from their standpoint, everything was going well, but for me there were some things missing from the relationship.
2. People tend to “think” they understand me when in fact; they are way off in their so-called knowledge. Once they feel they have me figured out, they think they understand why I did what I did or said what I said. In essence, their incorrect assessment of me starts the creation of two separate realities concerning me; their view of me and my view of me. These two worlds are more likely to collide than merge in a healthy relationship. While I obviously need to take responsibility for not clearly communicating my needs, the other person needs to own up to forming and stubbornly holding onto what they thought they knew about me. Their stubbornness is really a reflection of their self-centeredness that does not leave room for the real me to come in.
   
   

In new relationships, whether they are platonic or romantic, I am going to do a better job of understanding what my needs are and communicating them to the other person. I will continue to focus on how I can benefit the other person, but in order for the prospective relationship to work, both of our needs should be met. (If I had to put a percentage on them, I would say 80% focus on the other person’s needs and 20% focus on my needs.) In exchange for me trying to be clearer on what I need, it is my hope the other person will not succumb to the temptation to “have me figured out” and truly take the time to get to know me.

If we both can keep up our ends of this potential partnership, then we both will be positioned to DO MORE.

Do More!

The holiday season and the end of the year is a time of reflection for me. As I think about how things are going in my life, I must confess that there is always more I could have done. I could have called more, emailed more, prayed more, smiled more, helped others out more, etc. In short, I understand that I could have done more and I could have been more.

In my relationships with family members, friends, co-workers and others, it is always easy for me to see what more others could have done. But, I am not responsible for what others do or do not do. Besides, making sure I do the right things for the right reasons is a big enoug task to keep me busy. Whether you want to admit it or not, you too must admit to being more willing to place blame on others than accept responsibility for your behavior. All of us are guilty of not being all that God wants us to be.

During this time and throughout the upcoming new year, let's resolve to DO MORE. We Christian singles should focus less on what we think others should be doing and pay more attention to what we can do. Don't wait for someone to call, you call them. Stop waiting for that email, you get the ball rolling in cyberspace. Don't delay greeting others, be the first to say hello. Don't just return others' kindness, initiate it. Lastly, don't settle for an eye for an eye mentality. Be nice, be graceful, be loving even when others are not that way with you.

I sincerely hope that Christian singles everywhere will personally commit themselves to DO MORE.

It's Friday. Is That A Good Thing or Bad Thing?

What does Friday mean to you?

Even more importantly, what does Friday mean to others who you care about? For some, Friday marks the beginning of a weekend full of fun activities with friends, romantic partners and family. This is a day that cannot come fast enough. For others, Friday is just another day of loneliness and isolation. They have no friends, romantic partners nor nearby family to look forward to spending time with.

Be THANKFUL and MINDFUL today.

• Thankful that your weekends are something you look forward.
• Be mindful of those whose weekends are just another painful reminder that they feel alone, isolated and/or depressed. Take the time to brighten someone's day that you suspect may be down in the dumps. Send an e-card or email letting them know you were thinking about them. Call someone you haven't spoken with in a while and let them know you care.

My prayer for you and for those you care for is that your life will be blessed enough that all of you can honestly and gratefully proclaim, THANK GOD IT'S FRIDAY!

Now That Is What I Call Spiritual!

On Sunday, December 3, 2006, there was an interesting story on CBS’s newsmagazine, 60 Minutes about the ongoing conflict between Tutsis and the Hutus in Rwanda which ended up with three out of every four Tutsi being murdered. The special focus of this 60 Minutes piece was on seven Tutsi women who hid out in a cramped bathroom for 91 days to avoid being massacred by their Hutu tormentors.

At the end of that piece, the CBS person conducting the interview asked one of these women about revenge. Her response was that revenge would only make things worse and when pressed by her interviewer that it would at least feel good, she further added that actually it would not. To confirm her resolve, she even hugged and expressed forgiveness to a Hutu neighbor who killed members of her family and who would have killed her. No to revenge and yes to forgiveness; what a SPIRITUAL answer!

For Christian singles, there is so much to learn here.

• First of all, we Christians need to let go of our spiritual arrogance where we think we are the only ones who can be “spiritual”. The truth of the matter is that the principles of spirituality can be found in various religions outside of Christianity.
• Secondly, we need to recommit ourselves to the expression of true Godly love. Far too often, we lay our so-called “Godly love” down when we encounter others who act in ungodly ways toward us.
• Thirdly, we need to embrace the Christian mandate of forgiveness and of “turning the other cheek”. In our relationships with each other, many of us vow that we will not be played or punked or taken advantage of. Furthermore, we view “turning the cheek” as a sign of weakness. Have we forgotten that the granting of grace and mercy is a major characteristic of our Christian doctrine?
  
  

If this Tutsi woman who survived the worst of what any human would have to endure can forgive and re-establish a healthy relationship with those people who hurt her and her family, how can we not do the same with those we interact with?

• So what he or she stole our romantic partner?
• Who cares that our romantic partner broke our hearts?
• Big deal that someone spread rumors about us?
  

Whatever it is that people do to us, it is our Christian duty to express Godly love and forgiveness. Let’s stop catering to our pride and trying to get an “eye for an eye”. That is so un-spiritual. Doing as Jesus has done in sacrificing His life for us and following His command to love others and “turn the other cheek”, now that is what I call SPIRITUAL!

What You Cannot See

“Whoa! Where did that come from?” Just when you thought your singleness was going great, something totally unexpected and unwelcome happens.

• That ex-romantic partner who broke your heart shows up and wants to rekindle things
• Your boss has found that one last nerve of yours to play like a fiddle
• The friend you thought you could trust lets you down
• Even your faithful dog does not want to have anything to do with you
  
  

“Not now!” you scream. “Today is the worst time for this to happen. Stop this singleness train; I want to get off.” But the beat just goes on. The sun still climbs in the sky, the wind still blows and that stubborn clock just insists on keeping up its annoying ticking.

But take a second look, the answer is everywhere. Because the sun still rises even when you kinda wish it wouldn’t, there is a lesson to be learned there. As bad as your day is, there is something UNSEEN at work that urges you to keep the faith. If the sun can still rise even as all hell is breaking loose, then maybe that same UNSEEN force that controls the sun can shed some light on your situation.

Maybe, just maybe….

Why do you worry about what you CAN see when what really matters is what you CANNOT see? It’s not the sun you need to be in awe of, but the power behind it!

Here’s praying that the invisible God of your single years will allow you to see the blessed effects of His awesome and matchless power on your singleness.

It's Not About You!

I know, I know. You are not one of “those singles” who are weak and wimpy. Somehow, you have managed to avoid those periods of depression or frustration that other singles sometimes experience. I thank God that you have mastered what it takes to be single. How great would it be if we could be just like you?

This posting is not about you. While you have managed to rise above the challenges that other singles face, there are so many others who every now and then:

• Feel so alone because they have no romantic partner
• Feel isolated because they have few TRUE platonic friends
• Feel depressed because the holidays are approaching and they do not have anyone to share them with
• Feel frustrated because they promised themselves that this year they would find true love and that promise has not come true
• Feel angry because no one seems to have the answers to the problems they face
• Feel confused because they seem to be doing everything the right way, yet things still keep turning out wrong
• Feel anxious because the attainment of their dreams seems to be slipping away
  
  

That is why this is not about you. Many of us do not have your strength and confidence. Sometimes we are up and sometimes we are down. We have good days and bad days. There are days when we are the baddest singles out there and there are other days when singleness whips our butts. Out of this mixture of victories and defeats, we are at least learning about the God we serve and our faith in Him grows each time He allows us to make it through. God’s word is true that His grace is sufficient in the midst of our struggles with our “thorns in the flesh”. Because we struggle, we are becoming more familiar with God’s delivering power. In essence, our singleness is more about Him than it us about us because He is the positive difference in our lives.

Because you have this singleness thing figured out, you have nothing to teach us. In your eyes, your singleness is so perfect that look you look down on us as weak and desperate. Now that we think about, thank God that this is not about you.

Pray and Do!

According to a news report on CNN, 1,800 children are diagnosed with HIV/AIDS each day with a majority of them being newborns.

What a way to start life!

Today, particularly during the Christmas holidays, let's be mindful of people who are suffering with this disease. Also, do not forget that one does not have to actually have AIDS to be victimized by it. In fact, many of us who are free of that virus still suffer because of how it impacts people we love.

As Christian singles, let's take the time to pray for the less fortunate, the less healthy, the less wealthy and others who are suffering. On today which is World AIDS Day, let's say a special prayer for those who are infected. And after our prayers, let's do something about all the pain and suffering that we see out there.