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SINGLES
(Continued from page 9)
er singles. While in college or
working with others in a younger
age group, dating is a normal rou–
tine of single life. But when one is
no longer so young and a majority
of those with whom you work or
who live in your neighborhood are
married, it narrows the field of
availability.
The place
not
to go is a singles
bar. And don't place an ad in tbe
paper. The chances of a very
unpleasant experience are simply
too great to risk.
How to Put lt in God's Hands
Because God is the author of male
and female, the most important
part of preparing for marriage is to
seek bis guidance.
One of the most beautiful stories
in the Bible perhaps will serve bet–
ter than any other to illustrate how
God can intervene for those who
have prepared themselves.
It
is the story of Ruth- told in
the book by that same name. lt's
quite a story.
Because of drought, a Hebrew
fami ly moved to the land of Moab.
After a time, the head of the family
died, leaving a widow and two
unmarried sons. The two young
men married Moabite women, but
ironically after about lO years both
the young men died.
Now there were three widows
living together. They heard condi–
tions had much improved in Judea,
so Naomi, the mother-in-law,
decided to return to her homeland.
The two younger widows had to
choose where to live. One decided
to stay among her own people-the
other to remain with Naomi and
live in Judea.
One of the best-known passages
of scripture in the Bible is the
statement of Ruth as she made that
momentous decision. She said to
her mother-in-law: "Where you go
1 will go, and where you stay I will
stay. Your people will be my people
and your God my God. Where you
die
J
will die, and there I will be
buried" (Ruth 1: 16-17).
When they arrived in Judea they
were so poor, Ruth had to glean the
fields after the harvest just to have
enough food to eat.
36
The owner of the field where
Ruth was gleaning was a wealthy
single man. Ruth must have been
attractive, because even working in
the hot sun with dirt on her face,
she caught the eye of Boaz.
He checked to find who she was.
Upon hearing the story of her love
for her mother-in-law and her will–
ingness to leave her own people, to
continue to worship the true God
and to seek a new life in Judea,
Boaz was much impressed. He
must have wondered, "Could this
be the woman I have been waiting
for?"
As it turns out, sbe was.
But the story doesn't end there.
It was not simply a matter of aman
and woman finding each other. God
had brought them together. Ruth
and Boaz became the great grand–
parents of David the future king of
Israel. And from David descended
Mary, the mother of Jesus.
While your and my needs today
may not be as important to history
and the plan of God as was the
marriage of Rutb and Boaz, we still
can depend on God to provide our
needs. The apostle Paul said, "And
we know that in al! things God
works for the good of those who
love him, who bave been called
according to bis purpose" (Rom.
8:28).
There is one thing 1 can tell
those of you who are single and
who do faithfully and patiently wait
for the great Creator God.to direct
you toward the proper marriage.
When you are happily married to
the right person, it will soon make
any or al! of those single years seem
like ancient history.
There is a marvelous mechanism
God must have built in us. After a
few months of a happy marriage,
we begin to forget what it was like
to be single. After a few years we
almost totally forget the previous
frustrations of the single years.
And frankly it doesn't matter if
one is 22, 32, 42 or 52 when first
married. Believe me, a few happy
years with the proper mate are far
better than any number of miser–
able years witb the wrong one.
The same thing happens after
children are born into a family.
When you have a child, or more
than one, you wi ll have a hard time
remembering what it was like
around the house before the chil–
dren carne.
Marriage and children become
an integral part of life.
But the wrong marriage to the
wrong person? There is no greater
turmoil and unhappiness. Far bet–
ter it is to endure the sometimes
frustrating pangs of the single life
than to end up trapped in a miser–
able marriage.
So What for You?
If
you choose not to marry, you
have not sinned. There should be
no shame in being single.
But if you have a sincere desire
to marry and have a family,
patiently wait for the right person.
Spend the intervening time prepar–
ing yourself to be the best possible
husband or wife.
It's never really too late. Aman 1
know turned 63 last year. He had
not married. He was shy and had
spent bis life working hard.
More than 50 years ago he had a
crusb on a girl in bis grade school.
But being sby, he didn't develop
the romance. She later married and
had a family.
About lO years ago he found she
was now alone and had been caring
for her elderly mother.
Still being shy, it took a while to
work up the courage to tell her he
had that crush on her years ago.
But he finally did and they began
to date. They were married last
summer.
When asked about his feelings
on marriage, he said it's a "whole
lot better" than he thought it
would be. He not only got the girl
of bis dreams, he became the
instant father of three and the
grandfather of twin 4-year-olds.
But be did have a very long
wait.
Most of you who are single prob–
ably won't have to wait that long.
If
you really do hope for a happy mar–
riage, make your desires known to
God.
Then do all you can to prepare
yourself. Make every effort to meet
people you share common interests
with and who have values you can
respect. There is no way you can
lose if you confidently and faithful–
ly trust in God for your needs–
including your need for the person
you marry. o
The PLAIN TRUTH