An elderly lady who had never been married was planning her funeral. One of her requests was that all of her pallbearers be female. The funeral home director thought this to be an odd request, so he asked her why she didn’t want any men to be her pallbearers. She replied, “They wouldn’t take me out when I was alive; I don’t want them to take me out when I’m dead!”

While most people do have a desire to get married, many do not. They prefer being single. According to the Bible, there is nothing wrong with this. Paul the apostle says that those who are single can devote more of their time and energy to the Lord’s work (1 Corinthians 7:32-35).

Too many times we Christians have been guilty of disregarding the Bible’s teaching on singleness. Well-intentioned people have made single people uncomfortable with their choice not to marry. Some have even pushed others toward marriage, when it might not be right for them. Let’s try to be more discerning about such matters.