Oysters on the Half Shell:
A Recipe for Christian Single Living

I personally don’t like oysters. I find them slimy and not very appetizing but for some reason I just couldn’t resist the challenge to find a way to develop a relevant blog post using oysters as the secret ingredient in The Official Iron Blog Challenge, so here we go.

What little I know about oysters is that they are most commonly served on the half shell. After a quick online search, I found that the recipe for oysters on the half shell is actually quite simple.

Not much is required at all, basically you just clean, separate and serve. It’s so simple that even a novice in the kitchen would be able to master this and serve what has been called a seafood delicacy.

So what in the world does an oyster recipe have to do with Christian singles? I’m glad you asked. Though served on a half of the oyster shell, the oyster meat is very much whole. The other half of the shell is not required for you to enjoy this oyster meal. Similarly, a mate is not required for a Christian single to enjoy life. The Christian single in and of him or herself is very much whole.

To truly understand this, you can’t use the world’s way of thinking. God’s math is not like the world’s math. While society dictates that you are incomplete without a mate, the Bible teaches that the “two” shall become one, not the two halves shall become one (Gen 2:24 & Mark 10:8). So recognize that you are not a half looking for someone to complete you in order to become whole, you are whole in Christ.

And just when you thought, there was nothing more to be learned from oysters, here’s one more lesson. The basic recipe for oysters on the half shell can also serve as the recipe for enjoying life as a Christian single.

• Clean - Clean up your attitude and your perspective on life. Because you’re single, you may be feeling as if you’re lacking something. But if you are a Christian you have received the most precious and most valuable gift of all in Jesus Christ. Although you may not have everything you want, you certainly have much to be thankful for. Be thankful for the gift you’ve received, the blessings you now enjoy and know that the best is yet to come!

  “…No good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly.” - Psalm 84:11 NKJV

• Separate - Separate yourself from those things that are not pleasing to God. We are in the world but not of the world and as such there should be a difference in our lives. Our single life should not mirror that of celebrities or our non-Christian friends because our primary goal is to do that, which pleases God, not man.

  “Therefore come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you.”- 2 Corinthians 6:17 NKJV

• Serve - While oysters are served to others, our job is to serve others. We are most like Christ when we serve. There are numerous opportunities to serve all around you, so get involved. Serving not only benefits others, but it also helps to prepare you for marriage by allowing you to practice placing the needs of someone else ahead of your own. The body of Christ needs whatever it is that you have to offer and no amount of service is too small.

  "Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms.”- I Peter 4:10 NKJV

Much like the oysters on the half shell recipe, every Christian single can master the ability to enjoy single living in just a few simple steps. To do so, every Christian single must understand that you are whole and your ability to enjoy life is not contingent upon whether or not you have a mate. Jesus came that you may have abundant life (John 10:10), so be sure to enjoy every season of it!

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