The Invitation Read — Bring Spouses
Sunday was the celebration of Epiphany – the arrival of the Three Kings’ visit to the Holy Family. The manifestation of the Lord. So why should I have received little knots in my tummy on Friday when I received this invitation?
“It’s that time of the year for our annual Epiphany get together with spouses! (Etc. etc. etc.)” “I am asking that you reply to this email no later than Monday (Jan 9) letting me know if you will be able to make it or not and if your spouse can make it too.”
Yes, a “little” pang hit my heart. I was tempted to send in “I wish!” LOL! I am being facetious because, with God’s grace, I’ve adapted well to my “single” status.
Yes, “Single” is the box I check in “Marital Status” if it doesn’t have a box “Widow(er)” to check. Once upon a time I checked the “married box” AND took my spouse with me to the “plus one” invitation. This invitation wasn’t “plus one”. It was “spouse”!
My encouragement to you, my wonderful friends, whether you bear the “single” OR “married” status, is to value what’s most important and convey the words of what your loved ones mean to you daily and cherish them with all your heart. Comfort and joy are ours when we embrace each day as a keepsake and precious treasure.
A famous orator once was asked to recite Psalm 23, which begins, “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.” When he finished, the audience clapped with excitement. Then an old minister was asked to recite the same psalm. He was clumsy and not very polished in his delivery, and his grammar was a bit off. Yet when he finished, there wasn’t a dry eye in the room. What made the difference? It was the elegant orator who responded: “I know the psalm, but he knows the Shepherd.”
The joy and comfort that Christ provided in our yesterdays is the same today. Perhaps the most famous line of Psalm 23 is verse 4: “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.”
In this life there is much suffering and sorrow, disease, and even death. It is the shadowy valley that God’s children often must walk through. But Christ, the Great Shepherd, is ever present to give us His peace when we are at a “table of one” or the “plus one” or “no spouse”.
Because “the Lord is OUR shepherd,” we have a relationship that says: “I am never alone!” Yes, chances are we can feel a bit lonely at times, but we can wipe those sad songs off our woe-is-me playlist and the crummy moods off our etch-a-sketch pad. Goodness! We HAVE social media and beyond and we can live an upbeat, joy to the world, life every day!
I often speak or write about the seasons in our lives. We ebb and flow our way through the years, never feeling like we are always weak, always strong, always tired, always victorious. Sometimes we stand tall and we fight. Sometimes we go dormant and we rest. Sometimes we reflect and grow. We don’t have to be “on” every single day of our lives.
But, dear friends, we should never believe when we’re down, we are destined to stay there. The season of being a couple and bringing my spouse with me to an event has changed, but you know what? I changed too! Because I was willing to change, I am embracing the changes.
Now, I sit with my single friends, laugh, and celebrate life with them. But I also sit with my married friends (some of whom are my closest friends), hang out with them, and even travel with them. I am not defined by my marital status, and neither should you be. Perhaps being defined by our relationship status with our Lord, is the status that matters the most because, in Him, we are complete.