The mid-single community is made up of unique and diverse men and women with interesting life stories. However, we have observed at least one thing that almost all mid-singles have in common. They are survivors. Virtually every mid-single we have known has a story of profound loss—whether it is the passing of a beloved spouse, betrayal, abuse, abandonment, divorce, or repeated rejection in the quest for life’s sweetest blessings. These losses often leave us feeling inadequate, fearful, or undesirable in some way, and sometimes wondering if a loving relationship is even possible for us.
The adversary has many methods to induce us to live beneath our privileges. One of the most insidious is convincing us to forget who we are. When we forget that, we forget the source of our power and more easily succumb to temptation or fail to embrace the blessings of eternity. When Satan came to Moses tempting him, “Moses looked upon Satan and said: Who art thou? For behold, I am a son of God, in the similitude of the Only Begotten; and where is thy glory that I should worship thee?” (Moses 1:13). Later in this encounter, Moses was emphatic that he would not be deceived as to his true identity saying, “Get thee hence, Satan; deceive me not; for God said unto me: Thou art after the similitude of mine Only Begotten.” (Moses 1:16). If Satan can deceive us about our own identity, He can convince us to succumb to temptation and, more generally, to live beneath our privileges. Moses was secure in his identity as a son of God, made in His image, and this gave him power over the adversary.
In the turmoil of losing a spouse to death or divorce or the discouragement of not finding a partner as your middle years approached, have you ever forgotten who you are? Have you ever been tempted to think no one else sees anything special about you, and then doubted your own worth? Has this ever made you feel like giving up the search for eternal love? Forgetting who you are can lead to feelings of unworthiness and despair.
Conversely, remembering who you are invokes your royal birthright. As Paul, the great, Apostle said, “The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children then heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if it so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together” (Romans 8:16-17). The best way to reclaim your self-image is to remember who you are, that your suffering for love is in similitude of His, and that you are heir to all that God has because the Son of God valued you enough to suffer and die for you.
