By: Allie Joy Hudson
2 min. read
Created for Community
God created us to be in community. Genesis 1:27 beautifully declares that God created us in His image. Just as He is in communion with Himself as the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, we also need to spend time in His presence and around our closest people.
I just started reading The Emotionally Healthy Leader by Peter Scazzero. God has been showing me a lot about Himself and about myself through this book. In one of the chapters, Scazzero challenges his readers with the profound and beautiful statement that our best and most influential leadership (or any impact for the kingdom of God, really) will come when we are “leading out of our marriage or singleness.”
These terms are more than just relationship statuses or lifestyles – they are powerful and meaningful vocations, or callings, on our lives. Our marriage or singleness profoundly impacts the way that we serve, work, love, and live in community with those around us. It impacts all of our relationships and, most importantly, directly reflects the Father’s love in and through us.
Marriage and Singleness
Though marriage and singleness look different, each type of relationship displays God’s love to the world around us. Scazzero writes,
“Married couples bear witness to the depth of Christ’s love. Their vows focus and limit them to loving one person exclusively, permanently, and intimately. Singles – vowed or dedicated – bear witness to the breadth of Christ’s love. Because they are not limited by a vow to one person, they have more freedom and time to express the love of Christ to a broad range of people (87).”
The Church needs both single and married people to come together and best show the world the breadth and depth of God’s love.
As married couples, our love for our spouse flows out of Jesus’ love. Our love for each other also paints a picture of the way that Jesus loves us unconditionally, passionately, and faithfully.
As singles pour into and receive love from their families and closest friends, they are better energized to love their broader community well. They can reflect the Lord in their every relationship.
Related: Rethinking Singleness
A Gospel Image
It’s tempting to prioritize doing and serving over taking time to be in community with those closest to us. But our community is what helps to fill us and better equip us to serve the Lord well. And, even more importantly, the way that we love our spouse, family, and friends reflects the incredible love that Jesus has for us, His people.
Living in a way that truly prioritizes our singleness or marriage after our relationship with God is, as Scazzero says, “our loudest gospel message.”
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Allie Joy Hudson is first and foremost a daughter of the King. She has worked with Proven for three and a half years and serves as the Content Manager. Allie graduated from Liberty University with a B.A. in English and minors in Spanish and Psychology. She completed her Senior Honors Thesis on the presentation of postmodern sexuality in short fiction. She enjoys reading, writing, playing the viola, running, singing, and photography. Allie is passionate about her ever-growing C.S. Lewis collection, cultivating relationships, and proclaiming truth in the twisted arena of postmodern sexuality. Allie lives in Pennsylvania and is overjoyed to be married to the love of her life.