Years ago, I had a single friend who had come up with an analogy for singleness. She said that being single was like riding a motorcycle - you're exposed to the elements without any protection. Meanwhile, being married was like riding in a car. You have heat and A/C, plus protection from wind and rain, and more than that, some added protection in the event of an accident.
She went on to add that being married to the wrong person was like being trapped in a car with a wild animal.
Over the many years since then, I've often thought about that analogy, particularly when I was feeling sorry for myself. Recently though, I've started looking at it differently.
Sometimes when you're on a motorcycle - something I can mostly just imagine because I've only ridden on a motorcycle once in my life* - you can go around trouble spots rather than being held hostage in a line of traffic. Sometimes it's just an easier way to get around. And even though you're exposed to the elements, you can often pull under a bridge or a covering somewhere along the way - allowing God to provide.
On the other hand, riding in a car can have its negative issues, too. There's sheer terror when you tap on the brakes and realize they're not working. There are annoyances when the air conditioning goes out on the hottest of days and rolling the windows down just doesn't help at all. And we all know the frustration of a car that won't start. Some marriages are broken too, and riding in that car isn't remotely pleasant or comforting.
When we're riding a motorcycle on life's journey, we often learn to trust God in a way that I don't know comes easily to married couples. It's so easy to put your trust in another person and never learn what it means to lean on God for everything. The relationship with God that singleness brings is an amazing gift.
*My brother was driving the motorcycle and we were much younger then. Enough said. :-)
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