Kay

Mark,
We also have to take into consideration that Paul gives various advice regarding marriage, widows, and singles, according to each congregation’s specific situation .
He says this to the Corinthian Church:
“But I say to the unmarried and to widows that it is good for them if they remain even as I.
But if they do not have self-control, let them marry; for it is better to marry than to burn with passion.”
1 Cor. 7:8-9

“But I want you to be free from concern. One who is unmarried is concerned about the things of the Lord, how he may please the Lord;
but one who is married is concerned about the things of the world, how he may please his wife,
and his interests are divided. The woman who is unmarried, and the virgin, is concerned about the things of the Lord, that she may be holy both in body and spirit; but one who is married is concerned about the things of the world, how she may please her husband. This I say for your own benefit; not to put a restraint upon you, but to promote what is appropriate and to secure undistracted devotion to the Lord.” 1 Cor. 7:32-35

By taking these verses into consideration, it appears that something else very specific is going on with the “younger widows” of 1 Timothy 5.

Otherwise, Paul would have simply instructed them to stay single as he did the Corinthians.