In the same way, the Christian woman who is single has value in her identity in Christ, not from her professional standing, heroic volunteer work, or footloose freedom.  The practical way she shows her love for Christ is by obeying Him in the callings He has given her for this stage of life, including work, family, friendships, and service opportunities.  If she is living faithfully in the callings God has given her and is open to what His hand might bring later, there is no reason for her or anyone else to think that she is incomplete or that she hasn’t fulfilled her purpose because she is not married.

Our status in life—marital, economic, vocational—is part of God’s purpose and should therefore be a source of contentment rather than anxiety.  Contentment doesn’t mean we have to be passive and let life roll past us, though.  We should each be making “directional progress,” as Jackie in Chicago said, to become the women God has called us to be.  Our personal callings play a part in showing us that direction.

Excerpted from Now and Not Yet © 2007 by Jennifer A. Marshall.  Used by permission of WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc.  Excerpt may not be reproduced without prior written consent.

Jennifer A. Marshall speaks and writes frequently on cultural issues as director of domestic policy studies at The Heritage Foundation, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank.  She is a graduate of Wheaton College in Wheaton, Illinois, and the Institute of World Politics in Washington, D.C.