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My circle of friends and I love to pair any single woman we know with a man we consider to be perfect for her. I can't count the number of times my husband has seen that matchmaking glint in my eyes and shot me a firm Don't even think about it! glare.
But for single Christian women, meeting single Christian men can be a difficult task. The church doesn't always have a large selection of available men and, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, neither does our nation. As of April 1, 2000, women outnumber men in the U.S. by 5,314,780. Factor in the hope of finding a single Christian man to this already unbalanced equation, and you wonder, what's a single Christian gal to do?
I think she has two options. First, she can wait for the perfect guy to happen across her path, and yes, sometimes that happens. My husband and I were high-school juniors when our eyes locked and we fell head over heels for each other. Thirty-one years later, we're still in love.
But single women also can allow a caring Christian friend to introduce her to a potential mate.
A few years ago, Hailey began attending our church. After a divorce from her abusive ex-husband, she was afraid to love again. At the same time, my husband was ministering to Ray, a kind, godly man whose wife took their two daughters and left him for another man two years earlier. He still felt the painful loss and hated going home every night to an empty house.
Although Hailey and Ray are eight years apart in age, God nudged me to help bring the two of them together. One Sunday morning at church, I approached Ray about asking Hailey out to lunch to ease her loneliness and help her by sharing from his experiences. He was reluctant, fearing she'd reject his invitation. So I made a quick trip to the church nursery where Hailey was volunteering, and asked her if she would accept an invitation to lunch from Ray. The suggestion surprised her a bit, but she said she would. I headed back to Ray in the sanctuary and told him Hailey would love to accept a lunch invitation from him. Armed with some confidence, Ray proceeded to the nursery and the two went to lunch and had a lovely time.
The potential for romance is all around us. If you can see it and want to take on the role of Cupid, here are five tips to consider before aiming your arrows:
1. Make sure you really know the potential couple. First, know how your friend feels about being set up. Some singles want nothing to do with matchmaking, and it's not your job to change their minds. Also, be sensitive about whether or not your friend is ready for a relationship. If she's just getting over a breakup or dealing with other issues that would make dating difficult, cool your jets.
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