Did you know that the concept of having an “other half” stems from Greek mythology?

The concise version of the story is that Zeus feared humans (originally four-legged and four-armed) would be too powerful – so he cut them into two. That meant the two halves would spend the rest of their lives searching for each other.

Thankfully, I don’t believe in the Greek gods. I imagine if you held on to a concept like that, you’d be striving to piece yourself together never knowing you were whole from the beginning.

What I believe is that God made man in His image (Genesis 1:27). That means you are nobody’s “half” – you are whole.

So, the term “better half” has to go. Words have power and what we identify with shapes us. The Bible says that we are complete in Christ (Colossians 2:10). It sounds trivial, but a girlfriend or the lack of one cannot add to or diminish wholeness.

Perhaps you are lonely – you might feel empty. I affirm you: Your value isn’t tied to whether you have a partner. Your value’s found in who Jesus says you are.

There are many things in this world that will try and assign worth to human beings based on what they have or don’t, or whether they’re a swipe-right or a swipe-left.

Take some time to read Psalm 139. Crafted by God, you have inherent value. You are His masterpiece (Ephesians 2:10).
Don’t compare. It’s something I strive never to do especially when I’m watching all my peers get married and have kids. Comparison truly is the devil’s snare. It produces envy and the mindset of “God, if only I had this, everything would be perfect.”

Because whenever I look at my happily married peers, I get impatient. I find myself asking God, “What about me, God? How long more?” So, when I am tempted to despair, I remember Solomon’s wise and comforting words.

“For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven… He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man’s heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end.” (Ecclesiastes 3:1-12)

God has a plan for each one of us. Some of those plans include the gift of marriage, and some of them don’t. Most of us are happy to say God is sovereign, but how many of us dare to trust Him with our futures? God doesn’t withhold good things from those who walk uprightly (Psalm 84:11).

“And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?” (Matthew 6:28-29)

If even the lilies! God cares for us so much and it’s reflected in His plans and gifts for us. Elisabeth Elliot writes in A Quest for Love, “If you are single today, the portion assigned to you for today is singleness. It is God’s gift. Singleness ought not to be viewed as a problem, nor marriage as a right. God in his wisdom and love grants either as a gift.”

Just don’t wait mindlessly (Matthew 25:14-30). There are so many things you can do as a single that you might not be able to do as a married person. If a friend from halfway across the world called me to come help serve earthquake victims, I’d pack my bags and buy a ticket that same hour.

I don’t know if that sort of lifestyle would be possible if I were married. I just know I can’t waste the time God has given to me.In my wait for a life partner, I’ve learned to pray this simple prayer: “Dear God, let Your will be done.”

It’s a prayer that’s simple in essence – but difficult to say at times. Yet I know that my life is in the hands of the Father who loves me – who gives good gifts to His sons and daughters.

At the end of it, what can we do but put our faith in our sovereign God? Not for gifts and blessings, but because He is worthy.

To the God who holds time in His hands: I trust in Your perfect timing and will serve you diligently to glorify you in my singleness.