Our culture, and the Christian subculture in particular, is couple’s focused.
. Here are a few things you can do to encourage your single friends and family members:
Notice Their Individuality
Every human being is unique. Show love to your friend with thoughtfulness. What encourages them?
- A sweet text?
- A card sent through the mail?
- A work out buddy?
- A hug?
- An affirmative word?
- A thoughtful gift?
My 21 year old daughter is here with me talking about this blog and she said, “Mom, it’s just common courtesy to be kind.” We have been talking about the difference in her stage of life where most of her friends are single — compared to 10 years from now when more of them would be married.
Invite your Single Friends to Join you for Holidays
. We began a tradition on Christmas Eve of inviting people to our home after the candle lighting service. It began on the fly when we noticed a single woman who seemed a bit lonely. A single divorced mom had custody of her sons on Christmas Eve and didn’t have something fun to do. For 7 years we became their Christmas Eve Tradition. Along with numbers of other families. We played games. We sang carols. We enjoyed being an extended family.
Sit Together at Church (Be Family)
A beautiful picture of what the church is — a family. Yet, church can be a painful place for singles, divorced, and widowed people. My mom was only 59 when my dad died. He had a big personality. After he died, she had to begin all over again building friendships. She chose to come to live near our young family. We were associate pastors at a church where everyone was young. She loved the church, but it was hard to find people who shared the same life experience. She would sometimes feel the pain when couples would do things together and she was the one left out.
Celebrate Their Birthday’s
. Some of your friends may prefer to have the celebration really quiet. Others may want a whole band and costume party. Finding out their birthday and making a note to find out what they like. Sharing a meal and catching up can be a wonderful way to celebrate together as each year passes.
Do Life Together
Invite your friends over for games or movies. Don’t rub it in if you are happily engaged or married.
I have been amazed at how many young adults have talked about how much they learned from our marriage and family. I’m sure they learned from our mistakes as well as the unique way that love flows freely when you do life together.
Comments? I would love to hear how you feel about the 5 points that I wrote about… Do you have other things to add to the list? Comment Below…
Also, as I am concluding this post, I realize that you may appreciate this guide I wrote: 7 Steps to Writing Your Personal Mission Statement.
