"Some Christians look like they've been baptized in Pickle Juice"... unknown
I think people should focus on what they can do instead of what they shouldn't do... I think Christianity should be fun!!! I like how Peter Marshall put it: "Why can't Christianity be fun??? And Fun Christian?"
I think it is high time someone discuss living Christian Life to the fullest -- in single life as well as family life...
Being a single Christian does NOT (repeat) does NOT stink! I saw a recording on You-Tube where the late Rich Mullins put it best. He said he was tired of people walking up to him and telling him they felt sorry for him because it was such a tragedy that he was single. He said that being single is a tragedy for him "between 10 o'clock and 2 o'clock at night, but that time's a tragedy for a lot married people too." Otherwise, apparently, he liked being single...
Here's the thing: being a single Christian has been underrated for years... Here are some examples...
(1) Many People often tend to focus on what single Christians are NOT supposed to be doing with each other... Really seriously, if all people do is dwell on the fact that single Christians should abstain from sex, they're going to get depressed. Its like being on a diet (I know about that too) and whining about how you have to cut out chocolate and pop. It becomes all you think about and then you don't want to diet any more. Face it: there is more to life than physical intimacy for married people and its the same for single people.
In many Christian bookstores, the sections reserved for singles are over-loaded with books about not sleeping around (and little else)...I've seen none about living life as a single person outside of the bedroom... Does that sound balanced to anyone???
Enough said...
(2) I thought the Movie "Bridget Jones" portrayed this beautifully: People seem to think single people's lives need repair and are often (a) trying to fix you up with someone or (b) asking how your love life is going which can make you feel bad about yourself if it isn't going well...
I'm not totally against fix-ups and blind dates...my grandparents met on a blind date... Blind dates can be fun (they can also be horrifically awful ...When my mother was young before she met my dad, her step father fixed her up with a policeman who went on and on about criminals he knew and arrests he had made for the entire date...My mother was board silly). If you know someone you think you're friend would like, by all means introduce them, but if your goal is only to fix up your single friend(s) and you don't just enjoy who they are (as a single) at the moment, what message are you sending them??? That they aren't complete without a spouse? That there's something wrong with them???
(3) Singles between 20 and 30 often get stuck with the youth in small churches...
They are grown-ups. If they're devout Christians and are mature they should be treated like adult church members.
The horrible fact though is that many single Christians (including myself sometimes) get board silly quite often because (1) many times there aren't a lot of singles in their church and they feel lonely, (2) they haven't developed their own personal lives because they've always expected to get married sometime in the next five minutes or (3) they're upset because they dwell on the things they believe they're missing out on by not living a worldly life.
I'd like to spend a few blogs discussing many of these issues that figure largely in the lives of single Christians.
Today I'd like to discuss an issue that has bothered me for years as a single Christian (although it has nothing to do with fun)...
This is serious business...
Choosing a place to sit in church
Many church members sit in the same pews for years!
My Parents have sat in the same place in the same pew for over three decades...they have actually worn dents in the cushions...
One week a family inadvertently sat in my parents' spot... It was all my parents talked about for the next week... The next Sabbath, they got to church early to reclaim their pew so no one would take it again...
While growing up, I sat next to my parents in church. They insisted on it. They didn't want me being goofy with my friends in the back of the sanctuary because it is irreverent.
And they were right.
Trouble is, when I moved away to another city, I found myself sitting in the same general area of my new church sanctuary as I did when I used to sit with my parents: this wasn't only because of habit... I am almost deaf in one ear and although the sound system picks up the speaker's voice pretty well, I still like sitting up front where I can see to read the speaker's lips. I also feel more like I'm part of the service when I sit up front. I don't like the back ... I feel detached.
The good news is that (usually) people don't want the front pew...Most people like sitting in the back... So when I lived away from my home town, I had no trouble picking a place to sit. Now, however, I'm back home going to the same church my parents go to.
I love my parents.
I am friends with them.
I do not want to sit in church with them every week.
Why? Because I'm tired of my mother telling me to be quiet like she did when I was 10. I don't like my father constantly reminding me of how to behave... It was charming for the first few weeks I was home and I don't want to hurt their feelings, but now being treated like a child in church is getting a little old.
I have a dilemma.... WHERE DO I SIT????
The seats directly behind my parents are occupied by people who have enjoyed sitting there for the last five years...similar stories pertain to the pews across the isle...I need to sit up front to enjoy the service. What to do???
Well, here's my plan...
One week, I'm going to deliberately come in a little late and stand at the back of the sanctuary so I can scope out the room and see where the regulars sit up front... I'll particularly focus my attention on the first three rows on either side of the room... Then I'll be able to see where the vacant seats are and choose my new spot...
That's the easy part.
The hard part is moving to a new spot without making my parents think I don't want to sit by them anymore...
Pray for me...
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