God has called and redeemed us from a life of sin. Paul reminds us that the world is passing away and lifts us up to a higher standard. We then must evaluate our relationships from an eternal perspective. This is why Paul says that it can be considered preferable to stay single, but that marriage is the best option for most people. Unmarried people are able to better focus on the things of the Lord. A married person must devote a lot of energy to their spouse or kids. Marriage is then a distraction in some ways compared to the possibilities of an unmarried life. He calls us to understand the hard truth that our significant relationship will last until death, but after that, it will be as if we didn’t have a spouse. That is our future whether we like it or not. However, we can still have these deep emotions in this life for another regardless. Singleness has its own advantage: to be devoted to the Lord without distraction.