Journey of the Word

I enter my thirties as a single woman, and a strange phenomenon occurs.

You see, a content, single, thirty-year-old woman is a peculiarity to the watching world – Christian and non-Christian alike.

“Why aren’t you married? Why aren’t you upset that you’re not married? Why aren’t you doing something about your singleness?”

And then this: “You study the Bible? Yourself? Why? Isn’t that for men?”

As though my love for Scripture study is somehow masculine. Apparently, I should clean house and bake cookies for myself until the right guy comes along, so I can finally learn the Bible from him.

The life I live is nothing spectacular. It’s simply what you do when, instead of waiting for life to start, you live.

To say I long for marriage is an understatement. But by God’s grace, I am overwhelmingly content with and rejoicing in the good God has given me in this season. And God opened my eyes to the treasure of the Word a few years ago, so much of my singleness is spent there, because, why not?

And I think I scare people.

They assume I must desire a life of singleness. I blog and lead Bible studies and work three jobs and do things with my life, so I must just not want to marry. Wrong.

Or maybe I’m just staying busy with Scripture study until I get married, and then I’ll drop all that stuff and get back to “normal” when real life happens. Wrong.

Some think I will be the spiritual leader of my home because I will know more Bible than my husband will. Wrong. *plus a few chuckles on that one*

I’m not here to justify myself or refute the accusations.

I’m just concerned about a world in which Word-saturated women are peculiar and intimidating.

Where men study the Bible, and women study devotional books.

Where a woman who loves the Word is thought abnormal. In church.

For fear of becoming egalitarians, we leave the men to have the theological discussions, while the women drink tea with their girlfriends and think shallow thoughts.

And yet, the Word dwells within redeemed man and woman alike. The only prerequisite is “redeemed.”

If the Word is life-giving for a man of God, the same is true for every Spirit-filled woman.

So, wives, rejoice in your husband’s knowledge of the Word, but don’t rely on it. This Man revealed in these pages is your Lord, so learn from Him.

Husbands, love everything that makes your wife a lover of God. If she spends a good deal of time studying Scripture, love that.

Singles, walk in the Word, and do it now. Fill yourself up with it while there is time, so that if or when marriage comes, a “real-life relationship” doesn’t replace an eternal one.

Single men, if I may: find a Word-saturated woman to be your wife. They are few. But once you’ve met one, you’ll discover you can’t settle for less.

And you, my dear girl who is embracing singleness {though perhaps by reluctant, joyous choice every blessed morning}, I can’t say it enough: Love the Word. Trade your moments of loneliness struggles for that. And it will follow you all the days of your married {or forever single} life.

Yes, I’m a woman. And yes, I love the Bible.

May a new and strange phenomenon occur in the days to come as women, single and married, join their voices to say the same.

 [image credit: unsplash.com]