The third and final part of my conversation with Carolyn McCulley, Dr. Dobson and John Fuller about being single and hoping for marriage is airing today on Focus on the Family. Today we talk about the many roles to be played—by God, parents, women, men, churches, etc.—on the way to marriage. We also talk about the pain, frustration and possible redemption of being single longer than expected.

Carolyn has this to say about it on her blog:

As Dr. Grudem said on Sunday morning at my church, he doesn't know anyone over 50 who has not had a significant trial or affliction. If you live long enough, you will encounter difficulty because it's what happens in a fallen world. But this is not the end of the story. Not only will we experience God's redemptive activity in this life, we have the promise of sin-free, pain-free life everlasting with Him in eternity. So if I am called by God to glorify Him as a single woman, even though I desire marriage, I know He is not wasting that desire or my small sacrifice in the years I have lived in that tension. He is weaving that into His plan to rescue, redeem, and reclaim His children.

And that's my confidence in extended singleness.

In case you missed any of the shows, you can listen to all three days worth of conversations with this crew here (look for the links in the list of "Recent broadcasts").