A friend of mine posted on 'interesting sites' and highlighted a site called Women Praying Boldly. Now, I have to be honest when I opened this site, I went to immediately closed it. 'Get Married' was the book that they were highlighting.
'Hello, I am not desperate!' (Now, no comments from the peanut gallery. I know what some of you are thinking. 'Well if you don't think you are desperate, maybe you should reconsider.... you are in the last year of your twenties...).
But for some reason, as my cursor went to close the site and disregard this recommendation, I started skimming the site and I began to think,
'Why is the 'M' word for singles is almost as bad as spouting out profanities?'
If you admit that you desire 'marriage' a list of reasons immediately come to mind. You are not...
1) Guarding your heart
2) Content and satisfied with God
3) Viewing 'the season of singleness' as a gift and using it to the fullest
I have to admit I have struggled with each one of these things. Thinking that marriage is somehow a reward for spiritual wellness. As I continued to read the site, the following section stuck out to me:
"Where we most often sin in our desire for marriage is not in worshiping marriage itself, but in doubting God's ability to bring it about"
'Why is the 'M' word for singles is almost as bad as spouting out profanities?'
If you admit that you desire 'marriage' a list of reasons immediately come to mind. You are not...
1) Guarding your heart
2) Content and satisfied with God
3) Viewing 'the season of singleness' as a gift and using it to the fullest
I have to admit I have struggled with each one of these things. Thinking that marriage is somehow a reward for spiritual wellness. As I continued to read the site, the following section stuck out to me:
"Where we most often sin in our desire for marriage is not in worshiping marriage itself, but in doubting God's ability to bring it about"
(Marriage: An Idol, Candice Watters, author of Get Married).
'In doubting God's ability to bring it about...' Wow, what a statement. How many desires do I continued to hold at arms length because I doubt in God's ability to bring them about?
C. S. Lewis wrote,
Indeed, if we consider the unblushing promises of reward and the staggering nature of the rewards promised in the Gospels, it would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.
"Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; TRUST IN HIM and HE WILL DO THIS: he will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun" (Psalm 37:3-6).
"Abram BELIEVED the Lord, and He credited it to him as righteousness" (Genesis 15:6).
Whether it is marriage, children or other desires God has placed on our hearts, may it be said of us that we BELIEVED and it was counted to us as righteousness.
.jpg)
4 comments:
Hoser, thanks for the post. You are an encouragement to me!
This may not be helpful, but something that I say to myself daily is "God is enough". I am having a hard time believing he'll bring this certain thing in my life about but I feel I am learing how to trust Him, He is Enough.
I love the CS Lewis quote!
I keep meaning to talk to you about this post. So much I have to say! Remind me when I see you (which will hopefully be tonight to play cards).
Post a Comment