Have you noticed that we humans tend to excel at viewing the world through a lens of either/or? That thing is either big or small. It is either fast or it is slow. It is either enjoyable or it is boring. And so on. Not only that, but we usually consider our designation of something as either this or that as clearly self-evident. After all, the Titanic was obviously big, Sydney buses are definitely slow and COVID lockdown is clearly boring!

But things aren’t always that simple.

The reality is that our perception of something as being either ‘this or that’ very much depends on the perspective from which we are viewing it. The Titanic appears big, until you compare it to a modern cruise ship. Sydney buses appear mind-numbingly slow, until you compare them to the alternative of walking. Lockdown is patently boring, unless you are a frustrated introvert at heart! Perspective is important.

When it comes to considering singleness in the lives of members of our churches—or considering those single brothers and sisters themselves—we can very easily find ourselves falling into a similar either/or trap.

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