Singleness blog - Dorothy

I’ve written this mini blog series over the past year, sharing an honest glimpse into my experience of singleness. I’ve come to recognise that singleness is a God-given gift and a blessing to the church. At the same time, I’ve wrestled with the pain of an unfulfilled longing for marriage.

What I’ve learned most is that—whether married or single—we are all learning to trust our faithful God with desires and circumstances that are not always easy. And, most importantly, remember that marriage and singleness are both wonderful ways to glorify God. 

I hope this offers a helpful insight for you.

With love, Hannah 

Dorothy died before I fully appreciated the impact she had on my life.

Dorothy co-led a midweek church group alongside my dad, it was hosted at our house and I attended as a teenager. I don’t know exactly how old she was—she seemed like an older woman, but not what I’d call truly old.

 I didn’t recognise it at the time but the interest she took in me and my sister was noteworthy. She deeply cared about our relationship with Jesus. She drove us to youth events, bought us our first adult Bibles, encouraged us and prayed for us, essentially sacrificing much of her own life to serve ours.

Dorothy was single. She is just one of many inspirational single people I know and have known, people who have truly made the most of God’s gift of singleness. These people inspire me and remind me of the significant impact single people can have in the kingdom of God.

I deeply desire to have children one day, but as a single person I know that this may never happen for me. This is painful for me to think about, and I dread to think how I'm going to feel, when I am past menopausal age, if the opportunity to conceive a child has passed me by.  Yet, on the day I meet Jesus face to face, I know  I’m not going to regret not having biological children, but I might regret missed opportunities to sacrificially serve others.

 I don’t know if I'll ever be someone's mummy, but I know I can be someone's spiritual mother, auntie or sister in Christ, someone’s Dorothy.

Photo by Krzysztof Kowalik on Unsplash