大象传媒

Committed to a life of celibacy

Melanie Carroll tells 大象传媒 Radio Lincolnshire how committing to a full-time relationship with God has enriched her life.

"I'm a 49-year-old single person that has actually been in a loving committed relationship since I was 17 - with my creator, with God."

It's been over 30 years since Melanie decided that she would remain celibate.

"I've had long conversations with my sister who is married and has a child," she says.

"She used to often say: "I want you to be happy like I am." Honestly the number of aunts and uncles and people that go: "Don’t worry, someone will come along." Actually I don't need someone to come along. Someone DID come along called God."

Melanie now runs a Christian bookstall in her local market. She says her choice of lifestyle means she has a lot of time for other people.

"Just because you've not been married, doesn't mean that you don't understand relationships. and I think we sometimes overlook that." She says she is often able to have conversations and do things she couldn't do if she was married.

It has not always been easy. "I’d be honest enough to say that having a full-time relationship with God is actually one of the harder relationships, and don't for a minute think that you won't have fallings out, that you won't have those moments where you kind of think to yourself, I want a divorce."

She says she has only questioned her choice on two occasions, and on both, she decided she wanted God, more than another person.

But she says, if she hadn't done what many people regard as a foolish thing, her life wouldn't be what it is: "And actually, I think my life is fantastic."

***You can listen to more stories of faith and singleness on 大象传媒 Local Radio.