If you’ve ever felt a twinge of envy or sadness at a wedding and wondered if you’d ever find the right person for you, God has an encouraging message. The world is backward, and the “It’s better to be married than single” message it sends out is wrong. If we let ourselves be swayed by this mindset, we miss out on much of the joy in life. Biblical wisdom tells us to enjoy and learn from each season, because they are only temporary.

Whether we consider the four seasons of the year or the seasons in which we find ourselves in our own lives, each one has aspects we can appreciate. God has made everything the way it is and in its own time for a purpose. This includes the point at which we find ourselves right now. “To everything there is a season, and a time for every matter or purpose under heaven” (Ecclesiastes 3:1, AMPC).

It can be difficult to fight the mentality that tells us we can’t be happy unless we’re married, but true happiness comes from God, not another person. One of the reasons Jesus came was to spread the word that joy and happiness are available for everyone. “…I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly” (John 10:10). We can experience the abundant life God wants for us if we refuse to limit ourselves based on marital status.

There’s nothing wrong with being married, but we don’t have to subscribe to the thinking that we’re not complete without a spouse. God made each of us in His own image and He gave us the ability to live life to the fullest, with Him as our partner to guide us. We don’t need to be constrained by others’ expectations, and any ideas contradicting this are wrong. “Don’t let anyone capture you with empty philosophies and high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking and from the spiritual powers of this world, rather than from Christ…So you also are complete through your union with Christ, who is the head over every ruler and authority” (Colossians 2:8, 10, NLT).

We can make ourselves miserable if we constantly feel like we don’t fit in. Life is too short for that! We can choose to either look longingly at the season we haven’t entered yet, or enjoy the one we’re in at the present. “But godliness with contentment is great gain” (1 Timothy 6:6). Contentment is a choice we make, and deciding to be happy right where we are is much less emotionally painful than striving to enter into something before its due time.

God gives us what we need exactly when we need it; in the meantime, there are plenty of reasons to be thankful. Embracing a positive attitude and counting our blessings positions us to receive from Him. He knows us better than we know ourselves, and He takes joy in blessing the prayerful requests made by those who trust Him. “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you” (Matthew 6:33). It’s only a matter of time before the next change of season.