Misconceptions

(A short blog for my single adult friends. I served in Single Adult ministry for over 20 years before becoming the pastor of my present church.)

Images. They come to us every day. We hear a word or a phrase and we instantly have an image in our mind.

Let’s try one. “Clock.” What came to your mind? For some of you it was the grandfather clock that you wish resided in your living room. For others it was a trip to London where you saw Big Ben, perhaps the world’s most famous clock. Some began to think about the digital that calls you to return to the land of the living each morning. All of that, and more, from one word.

Let’s try another. “Automobile.” What came to your mind this time? A 1967 Ford Mustang? An SUV? Perhaps a Model “T,” or a Model “A?” A Hummer? The same word, many different responses.

How about one more: “Single Adult.” What came to your mind? Was it positive, or less than positive? Many folks, married and single think of the negative aspects. They think of loneliness and seeking a partner. This incorrect view of singleness misses the fact that in 1 Corinthians 7 the author goes to great lengths to state that it is good to be married AND it is good to be single.

Others think of something more positive about being single, the aspect of personal freedom. Granted, many take that to the extreme and believe that it means all single adults are social butterflies, a view that is totally bogus.

In your hand you hold the power to change the perspective of one or more people. Your words and actions can go farther than you ever imagine in helping someone see a Single Adult as a whole person with gifts, talents and worth. Some will never get it. But, some will and you can help.

Let’s change the misconception – that single adults are “broken” and in need of “being fixed” – one person at a time.