By Dondon Dumadag
“Even to your old age I am he, even when your hair is gray I will carry you; I have done this, and I will lift you up, I will carry you to safety.” Isaiah 46:4
“You’ll have a room for yourself when my house is built, Ate (older sister),” my brother said. “You will have one, too, in mine,” said my younger sister. I can’t help but smile to myself every time I remember this heartwarming thoughtfulness of my younger siblings. They thought of preparing a place for me in case I grow old and remain single.
I turned 40 this year and this conversation is much closer to home now than when it happened. The possibility of not getting married and remaining single for life is actually a current reality that I face. And with God’s grace and much prayer, it is something that I can say I have now come to accept. But rather than consider this conversation that I had with my younger siblings as a source of security, I take comfort in God’s Word. Isaiah 46:4 says, “Even to your old age I am he, even when your hair is gray I will carry you; I have done this, and I will lift you up, I will carry you to safety.” This passage reminded me that if truth be told, no one really knows what my future holds for me other than the One who made this promise. Holding on to this Word of God provides not only peace and comfort but allows me to leave the future in His very capable hands and enjoy what my single life currently offers.
Holocaust survivor Corrie ten Boom said, “Worry is carrying tomorrow’s load with today’s strength, carrying two days at once. It is moving into tomorrow ahead of time. Worrying doesn’t empty tomorrow of its sorrow. It empties today of its strength.”
Let us not let the temptation to worry and be anxious about being single, old and alone rob us of the full life we can live today as a single. Rather, let us be grateful and see the beauty that the gift of today brings our way. We may yet discover that the best days of our single life are still to come!