Couldn’t my singleness just be temporary?

In a recent sermon at Calvary the Hill Church in Seattle I shared about the difference between temporary and vocational singleness, and why we should consider vocational singleness instead of living in limbo.

Temporary singleness is the default state everyone is born into, whereas vocational singleness is a lifetime vocation of singleness for the sake of doing kingdom work with undivided attention.

Many in temporary singleness are waiting for marriage. Vocational singles, on the other hand, permanently give up the possibility of romance, marriage, sex, and biological children in order to use that availability for kingdom work that parents might struggle to find the time, energy, or financial freedom to do.

Plus, vocational singleness isn’t a call to loneliness. Vocational singles can still enjoy human intimacy in the context of committed, lifetime human family.

To be clear, God still blesses those in temporary singleness, and our churches should too. While God calls most to vocational singleness or Christian marriage, God calls some to walk in temporary singleness for decades or for a lifetime.

But, many in temporary singleness find it difficult to commit to spiritual families or kingdom work because they are waiting for a future marriage.

This struggle can lead to job dissatisfaction, unfulfillment in kingdom work, loneliness, and a sense of waiting for life to start.

That’s why I encourage anyone walking out temporary singleness to earnestly discern whether God might be calling them to vocational singleness.

Where do we see this distinction in the Scriptures and the early Church?

Listen to the full sermon at https://calvarythehill.sermonboss.com/m/l54vuc