Traveling as a single Christian is not usually thought of as a tool to help you prepare for marriage. But I believe that it is. The only Scripture that tells us to go anywhere is the one that commands us to go out into the world and spread the Gospel {Mark 6:15}. There are lots of scriptures that reassure that God will direct our steps and protect us, as we follow Him.
So why should you travel…and what in the world does that have to do with marriage?
I spent 33 years as a single, unmarried woman. Growing up as a military brat, I had the opportunity to travel the world, to meet and befriend people of many different cultures, and to learn who I was through a gauntlet of situations. Those experiences also taught me who I wanted to be and the kind of life that I desired to live.
Traveling as a Christian single presents the opportunity to learn the things that you need to know and experience before you enter into marriage.
3 Reasons Why It’s Important to Travel as a Single Christian
You learn how to take care of yourself.
Traveling as a single Christian…especially as a single female Christian…can be daunting. Life can be daunting. Marriage can be daunting. When you set out to explore on your own, you learn how to be independent and sure of yourself. You build your self-confidence. You learn how to problem-solve, how to be efficient, cautious, curious, and how to make decisions. This doesn’t mean going alone, but independently; this can be done with a group of friends. If you’re traveling with your significant other, you learn how to take care of each other and get hands-on experience in working as a team.
Speaking of friends…
You will learn about who you are…and who you desire to be with.
The Scriptures tell us that God knew who we we were before we even existed {Jeremiah 1:5} but it takes time, experience, and circumstance for us to figure these things out about ourselves. Just as trying a new restaurant can expose you to new foods, going to a new location will expose you to new experiences. You won’t always know what you do or don’t like until you actually try it…
In conversation with another friend about missions trips, we laughed about the fact that we both got highly irritated with the people in our groups. Thinking that it was selfishness on our part, we forced interactions that we didn’t want. Turns out that part of being an introvert means that you need to have your energy replenished after social interactions. My natural defense mechanism is to walk away when I’m done talking, but that may come across as being rude…
Traveling helps to develop a person’s personality and character. When you know who you are, you have better insight on whom you’d desire to join in a covenant relationship. One thing I learned about myself while traveling was that there are certain people who I can be around for extended periods of time…and those whom I simply can not.
You may have to put this freedom and these experiences on hold after marriage.
I lucked out that I married someone who has a matching passion for travel. We don’t get to go as much as either of us would like; our marriage has been consumed with work, graduate school, church obligations, being foster parents, and many other responsibilities. Every once in a while, we get to leave the country…or the city…but it hasn’t been frequent. Your marital covenant has to be your priority and that often comes with sacrifice. One of the most heartbreaking situations in marriage is with the feeling that they’re missing out on something or that you didn’t get to do enough while single.
Travel and enjoy life while you have the opportunity. Marriage won’t necessarily stop the adventure, but enjoy being able to do this while you only have to worry about yourself as a single Christian woman {or man}.
What did you learn when you traveled alone? How has that helped you in your relationship? Let me know in the comments below!
Leave a Reply