Jim Daly Christian Blog and Commentary

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Singleness During the Christmas Season

  • Jim Daly Jim Daly is president and chief executive officer of Focus on the Family, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping families thrive.
  • Updated Dec 17, 2013

Being single during the holidays is the stuff movies, blog posts and TV show plot lines are made of. While they’re usually making light of how “awkward” things are for singles during Christmas, others try to look on the bright side of things.

I’m not belittling the importance of the topic. Our own outreach for single adults, Boundless, has a plethora of resources addressing the issue – and for good reason. God created us for community and companionship. That fact can be poignantly evident when you want to share Christmas with someone special – or wish you had someone to take with you to the office party.

Whatever the reason, it may seem ‘tis the season for looking for love.

Marriage expert and author Gary Thomas encourages Christian singles to start by considering the why of marriage before considering who they might date or consider marrying. He does this because infatuation fades quickly. Sexual chemistry, while important to marriage, doesn’t hold a marriage together.

As Gary says: “If we don’t know the ‘why,’ we can’t know whether somebody qualifies as a good ‘who.’”

Today and tomorrow Focus is airing a two-part broadcast – part of our “best of” programs of 2013 – with Gary titled “A Fresh Look at Dating.” During this conversation, Gary discusses several issues with the modern dating scene, including character vs. romantic attraction, the science behind infatuation and the idea of soul mates. It’s an eye-opening broadcast sure to help marriage-minded singles make the most of their search. You can also purchase Gary’s new book, “The Sacred Search,” in our online bookstore to go even more in-depth on this topic.

Whatever your “status” this year – married, single, dating, divorced or widowed – know that you are much more than that. You are loved by God. The Christmas season shows how much God yearns for a relationship with you – that He gave His own Son to be born into this imperfect world that it may happen.

That is the most important relationship of all.


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