Ask any single person desiring to be married: the holidays are brutal.  It is a time when couples pair up leaving the rest of us to wander aimlessly throughout the season with either only our best girl friends or best guy friends (those who aren’t dating) to keep us company.

Despite the feelings of warmth and togetherness that one would expect during this time, the holidays seem to bring with them a series of problems specific only to those of the single persuasion.  The thoughts of loneliness are constant, a desire for company insatiable.  Let’s face it, who envisions going to holiday events by themselves?  Whether it be dinner at a friend’s house or drinks at a company party, not many singles welcome said events with outstretched arms.  Going home for the holidays is also no exception.  Faced with the constant barrage from parents and/or grandparents, aunts and/or uncles about the non-existent mysterious person in our lives, a single person almost always shudders at the thought of being empty-hearted during the holidays.

As a result, many are often left to ponder why they are being forced to endure yet another season by themselves.  Or worst, some lose hope and venture into the very unsafe, yet very popular chasm of finding someone on their own accord sans input or confirmation from family, friends, or God.  In such cases, faith can be shattered, or worse, years of praying for and waiting steadfastly on the Lord forfeited to sheer impulse.

I, myself, have never done single well.  From my teenage years, to my first real boyfriend, I was either infatuated with someone or dating.  From my first crush, to the guy who first broke my heart, to the man who eventually became my husband, to my second serious relationship, to the many casual interactions in between; I have always been “involved” with someone.  That is until the Lord placed me on an extended relationship hiatus the manifestation of which has been me being very single for the past 7 years.  Yet, if you were to fast-forward from the point of origin when I began this journey kicking and screaming to where I am now; I would be the first to say that I am better off because of this season having had time to get to know the Man to whom I would want my husband to first be submitted.

It is in this vein that I begin this series, “How to Survive the Holidays as a Single Person”.  These articles will be written from a Christian viewpoint and justified with scripture.  As such and if you will, kindly allow me to take you on an abbreviated tour of some of the things God has shared with me throughout my looooonnnngggggg (no, that was not a typo) and continual tenure in the wilderness of singledom.  Allow me, within the next few weeks, to take you on a journey of both inward and outward reflection, a journey upon which I will give you guidelines of how to maneuver through this most difficult time, and do so both successfully as well as in excellence.  You will not be disappointed.

It is my prayer that you will embrace this season of singledom with full pomp and circumstance.  As others impatiently rush to quench the insatiable urge to not be alone for the holidays, I pray that you will seek wisdom and accountability.  Lastly, I pray that you will use this time to draw closer to God and strengthen your relationship with Him.  I pray this in none other than the matchless name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  Alleluia!

Know that I love you, all.

Red Shoes and Journeys,

Danielle, The Girl in the Red Shoes