This week’s show is for all the single parents out there. Kimberley, Robert Beeson, and I were all single parents for 8 years each, so we totally understand your journey.

Single parenting is such a hard path. Those who’ve never experienced it have no idea how much strength it requires (and no, your spouse being away for the weekend does not count!) It requires being both the comforter and the disciplinarian for your children. It requires making a zillion different decisions on one’s own. It requires doing the job of two people all the time. It requires forfeiting sleep.

Sometimes, the church is helpful. Other times it’s not – particularly in the case of divorce – adding shame to an already hard situation.

I’d convinced myself that God could not possibly love me while I was single. This was so far from His truth, but my divorce guilt simply did not allow me to see it. Instead of going to God, I tried to deal with my single parent status on my own, and hurried to re-partner. I ignored the still small voice and all of the red flags and ended up in a terrible relationship. Thankfully, God stepped in.

When I was on my own again, I turned to regular prayer and dug deep into scripture. When I came to Psalm 84, it felt like it was written just for me:

“Even the sparrow finds a home, and the swallow builds her nest and raises her young at a place near your altar” (Psalm 84:3 NLT)

I realized that God was not casting me out in my singleness. He was pulling me and my children in close. I decided to embrace a season of single parenthood. I bought a tiny, perfect home and decorated it to my liking. I adopted a dog. The kids and I took regular adventures on our own. I did not date at all. I realized that I would much rather “be a gatekeeper in the house of my God than live the good life in the homes of the wicked.” (Psalm 84:10 NLT)

And eventually, God led me to my husband, a widower who just happened to live next door. When you build a home at His altar, He makes sure you have what you need.

If you are in a season of single parenting, I’d urge you to hold on tight. God sees your struggle and wants to pull you in close. He invites you to build your nest at his altar.  

All you have to do is say yes.