THE SINGLE LIFE: TAKING INVENTORY

Hello and Happy Thursday :-) I thought I'd do a #tbt blog post today. It is an important practice that I think is important to do during the single life journey. It is the practice of taking a single life inventory. Just as we focus and take care of other things in our lives, this is an area that I think should be nurtured as well. Below is the #tbt post from March 27, 2015 but is still very relevant now. Read it for your encouragement and if you haven't taken inventory of your single life, you can still do it. Just set aside some time to do it. You will be happy that you did. :-)

THE SINGLE LIFE: TAKING INVENTORY

Hello everyone :-) Welcome to the end of another week. I hope that it was a good week for you. As I mentioned, I would be sharing a post with you today. Here is a question for you: Do you take inventory of your single life?

As we go through our day-to-day lives, we are often focused on taking care of things such as work, church, family, etc...and sometimes we may overlook taking care of ourselves. When we do finally get a moment to take care of ourselves, we often concentrate on getting pampered or hanging out with friends, which are both great and should be done, but do we ever take the time to take care of something that we may not realize is in desperate need of attention: our singleness? 

I know the thoughts may be, "Take care of my singleness? I'm reminded of it everyday" or "My singleness needs attention? Tell that to my family and friends who keep asking me why I'm single." 

In this case, I mean paying attention to more than just your status as a single person, but caring for your life as a single person. I believe that sometimes this is why some singles have questions about their lives as it pertains to marriage. Have you really taken stock of your singleness? Are you putting the cart (marriage) before the horse (singleness)? Are you placing more emphasis on finding a mate, than pursuing your goals and dreams? These are just a few things that I think will be helpful in taking care of and appreciating our single lives.

I know that Chronicles is dedicated to encouraging single women who desire to be married, but I believe that if we aren't cultivating our single lives, we won't be adequately prepared to take the next step to marriage. 

This weekend, or at some point, take some time out for you and take stock of your single life. You may be amazed at what you may need to add to, re-stock or remove from your inventory. Below are questions to help you get started. Be sure to print out the questions so you can begin your inventory. Also, pass this on any singles that you know.

SINGLENESS INVENTORY:

-If I could describe my single life in one word, it would be:

-Are there things that I need to work on as a single person? If so, list them/it.

-Do I ever take a moment to just be with  me? If so, what are the benefits? If not, why?

-Do I spend time with the Lord? If yes, what are the benefits? If no, why?

-Do I ever take inventory of my single life? If yes, how has it helped cultivate my single life? If no, why not?

-Am I allowing anything to influence my views on singleness (i.e. what I watch, who I hang around, what I listen to)?

-Who do I allow to define my singleness? [Note: Sometimes we allow others to define our single lives, mainly, when we should get married. What do you say about your single life? Not just about marriage, about anything?]

-Do I live my single life according to what the world says or what God (the Word) says? 

-Does my singleness revolve around finding a man? If yes, explain. If no, explain.

-Am I involved in any activities (hobby, my community, exercise, etc...) If so, what are the benefits? If not, what activity would I like to become involved in?

-How am I serving God? 

-Do I hang around like-minded people?

-Am I willing to let go of any toxic people in my life? If yes, how will I do it? If no, why?

-Am I currently in a relationship that I know is not healthy for me? If no, what are some things that I do to help discern unhealthy relationships? If yes, why?

-Am I inviting sin into my life (i.e. gossiping, lying, sleeping with someone who is not my husband, etc...)?

-Do I have hopes, dreams, and goals? If yes, list them. If no, why not?

-Am I pursuing my hopes, dreams, and goals? If yes, what steps did I take to get there? :-) If no, why not?

APPLICATION:

Make a decision to accomplish one thing that you have not taken care of in your inventory above. (Some things take longer than others, but taking the first step is what counts.)

PRAYER:

Lord, thank you for the gift of singleness. Thank you for allowing me this time to serve You, take care of myself, and use this time to grow into the person that You would have me to be. Lord, help me to pay attention to, and take inventory of my single life when it is needed. I want to honor You and appreciate this time that You have carved out specifically for me. In Jesus' name. Amen.

HELPFUL SCRIPTURES:

1 Corinthians 7:32-34; Psalm 1:1-3, Matthew 11:28-30; Philippians 4:6-6; Philippians 4:11

Have an awesome weekend :-)