The wife of a pastor encouraged single Christians to get involved in the fellowship, as they are likely to be withdrawn if they are single for a long time, especially those that are older.
Under the epidemic, although online gatherings are accessible and people can also talk with each other virtually, their hearts are closed to a certain extent with less social interaction.
Recently, a pastor’s wife called S for short in south China talked about an older single female believer who came to a new city but could not communicate with other believers as the church was closed due to COVID-19. She was alone with her mother, raising a puppy because of loneliness. With the encouragement of S, she began to communicate with the neighbors around her, getting joy and vitality.
Asked about her marriage, she said that she hadn’t planned to get married and that she had not ever fallen in love with others. S worried, "Older single female believers, even if high-level intellectuals, may become more and more unsociable since they have no company without protection from the church if they are not committed to a church."
S said that it seemed that there were more outstanding female Christians than male ones in churches, but she believed God might prepare the other halves for them.
But on the other hand, S also reminded the female believers not to overestimate themselves. Some single female ones, 30 or 40 years old, had the requirements for mate selection the same as at the age of 17 or 18, hoping to meet someone they loved at first sight. S believed that love, at first sight, was rare and could not last long. Many people said that they have no feelings for others, but the feelings were also unreliable as they might change.
At present, influenced by some secular values, female Christians may see if the other party has a house or a car when choosing their life partners. S stated that if a male believer had a good character, a sense of responsibility, skills, and the ability to support a family, he was an option, no matter whether he had a house.
- Translated by Abigail Wu
