It’s not easy being single in the church
There were never many girls my age at the Mennonite church in Scarborough, Ont., prior to my adolescent years, nor did my becoming a teenager make much difference.
There were many personable Upper Canada College girls at the high school I attended. But Mom said, “No!” They were not “Deetch.”
By the time I reached the age of 20, the young peoples group had been gutted by marriage. With whom was I to chat, let alone date?
Married couples rarely invited me to their homes. One of the reasons seemed to be that the women considered me to be a woman hater, if not worse. Eventually, I got into various kinds of shiftwork; this had the effect of killing most of my social life.
As a retired security officer who never married, I look into my past and then into my future:
• I did not know the love of a good woman, nor did I have the challenge and joy of bringing up children to maturity. There was so much that I missed by not being able to marry.
• These days, because of the squabbling between pro- and anti-homosexual contingents within Mennonite Church Canada, I, and other singles, are tacitly pushed to the sidelines.
• Although I will likely pass on some time after my brother and sister have drawn their last breaths, some of my nieces and nephews will be at my bedside.
• Contrary to what some married cronies may think, I have not been without joys in my life. During the last five years, I have had the privilege of speaking to others about Jesus.
To the married, continue to love and care for each as long as you are able. As for me, I will be ready for glory because I inadvertently remained single. So there!
—Hans Sawatzky, Winnipeg
The author is a member of North Kildonan Mennonite Church in Winnipeg.
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