There’s a special type of ire reserved for single women. A few clicks down the X (Twitter) rabbit hole can lead to posts blaming the unmarried female population for everything from millennial selfishness to incel culture. Many Christian circles, unfortunately, fail to offer a reprieve, regularly urging single women to marry and have children, despite the fact there are far fewer single Christian men than women.
What, exactly, is a gal to do?
Perhaps the better question is this: what is the church to do?
“The single Christian women I know are trying to make the best of a complex reality,” writes Katelyn Beaty at CT. “They seek to serve God with their daily work, invest in friendships and the church, and pursue creative and educational opportunities as they arise. Many of them also try to meet Christian men, dabble with dating apps, and pray.”
Beaty urges readers to remember that the early church elevated women “for their witness, not their wombs.” These women led house churches, evangelistic efforts, and civil rights movements. They lived according to God’s will, whether it included marriage and babies or not.
As we seek to honor God’s vision for womanhood, may we remember that we are more than our potential to bear children. And may we encourage our sisters in the faith to keep living in light of God’s goodness, whatever it does—or does not—bring their way.
