“The second most common family arrangement is children living with a single mother, at 23 percent.”
– United States Census Bureau

Her name is Nadia. She had the perfect life! She was active in her church, going to school for Biology and had a dream of becoming a doctor. All of her dreams were in reach, but then she met a man named Donte. To make a long story short, she loved Donte and thought that he loved her too. Only problem was he loved her until she got pregnant and then he decided to bounce because he had his own dreams and wasn’t ready for a child. Nadia now has three children and works at a strip club trying to make ends meet. She never finished school. She never became a doctor.

His name is Quinton, they call him Q for short. Q is a musician that was living the dream and got married at the age of 25. He had his first child 9 months after the honeymoon. His wife was a total babe and together, the two of them made a power couple–that was until she was hit by a drunk driver. Q lost it shortly after. He put the music away and now struggles with depression while trying to raise his daughter by himself. After his wife’s death Q shut everyone out, including God.

We have seen so many scenarios about how people become single parents. Some are by choice and other are unfortunate incidents such as Q. Other single parents were young and just made some careless mistakes as they thought they were ready to take on the world. Whatever, the case may be, it isn’t our place to judge. Instead it is our place to love and to show them God’s love if they haven’t already found it.

Have you ever taken a moment to consider all of the things that a single parent has to take care of? Well, to give you a brief idea, here are a few things some single parents face:

• • Financial strain
• • Lack of self confidence
• • Limited time to spend with children
• • Guilt
• • Social Isolation
• • Fatigue
• • Depression

Nadia taught us that mistakes happen. Sometimes we put our trust in the wrong people. Other times things just don’t work out. However, those mistakes do not define the person. It’s what happens after the mistakes that truly matter. Have you run across a Nadia in your regular day-to-day life? If so, how have you shown him or her the love of Christ?

What about Q? How do you show someone who has suffered a great loss the love of Christ, especially when you haven’t suffered the same way? How can you relate with someone who lost the love of their life, when you still have all of your loved ones? How do you deal with the questions that come up during the conversation? Well, that’s where you let the Holy Spirit lead. Maybe the Q’s of the world just need a little reminder that someone is there.

Whether it’s Q, Nadia, Maria, Josh or Natalie, there are simple things that you can do to show them love. Maybe they just need a day for themselves. Could you watch their kids for the afternoon so they can enjoy some time alone? Maybe they just need some help financially. Are you in a place where you can assist with getting them some things for their children? Or maybe they just need someone to talk to. Will you be that listening ear?

In 2016, the percentage of children in single-parent homes increased by 15 percent since 1960, according to the United States Census Bureau. How can you help change this growing situation? And yes it is a situation. You never know how a child may feel not having one of their parents in their life. Maybe he or she feels unloved. Maybe it’s the feeling that the divorce was their fault or that nobody loves them. The thing we forget is that our children take what they observe and if not dealt with properly, they can grow up with those hurts, pains and resentment, ultimately ending up in the same place their parents were in.

While we aren’t saying that every single parent is depressed and falling on rough times, we are saying that everyone can use some help. Let us know some ways that you helped at least one single parent you know within your neighborhood or community. You can email us at blackjack@btgum.com or hit us up on social media. We can’t wait to hear from you!

Make Your Move.