A Christian group I'm part of on my campus is having a women's retreat soon called Women's Single for the Lord Discernment Day. The long and short of it is that it is a whole day for college age women to learn what "being single for the Lord" means and how to figure out if its for you.
So what is this "being single" thing you ask? Basically it means being deliberately single for a period of time (or indefinitely for some) and living your life for God in every way possible. You dedicate your entire life to God and continue doing this until you feel He is ready for you to get married and start a family.
To answer the question that is in your mind, Yes this means no dating. At all. You dedicate your life to living a Godly life: praying, bible study, being part of a Christian community, and volunteering for charities. You continue to do this until you feel God is calling you to another vocation for your life.
"Now what is a vocation?" is the question that pops in your head next. The simple answer is that it is the life path God calls you to. You can be called to live a religious life (nun, priest, monk, deacon, and so on and so forth), to be single for the Lord, or to be married. There is also a fourth vocation, which I am currently in: being a student. My main task, as given to me by God, is to be a student and prepare myself for the rest of my life.
I am personally very near to the end of my education (and therefore my current vocation). I'm currently a junior in college, so I only have about one more year of schooling before I have to be a "real person." So while God's job for me is to learn, He also wants me to prepare for the next phase of my life. Part of this preparing involves praying for God to give me the wisdom to figure out what He wants for me and my life.
I can't go to this awesome retreat because of some training for my job, but even if I could I would probably pass it up so a different girl could go and determine her vocation. The Lord has shed a lot of love, grace, and light on me these past few months and I'm feeling as though I can see His path for me.
It has become clear to me that my path involves getting married and being a mother to however many babies God decides to send my way. It may be a long while before I can actually start on that path, but I know that's where He wants me. It was not exactly what I had in mind for my life the last few years, but it feels so right to me that I know it must be what God wants. In the meantime, I will just do my best to life my life for Him and try to do well in school.
Have you ever thought about your vocation and God's plan for you? If you are already well on your way down your life's path or already are in the middle of your vocation, can you see how God guided you to where you are? I'd love to hear your stories, concerns/worries, or anything else that might be on your mind.
