the following is what you could call direct plagiarism. my younger brother, who is now engaged, posted this on his blog back in november. i thought it might be of interest to some of my "readers"....i know i enjoyed it :) chris, please don't sue me.
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There is a girl I know who was made just for me. In fact, she feels likewise. We're just two ordinary people who love the Lord. I have long sensed within Christian circles that marriage is anathema when you're my age. Marriage is the norm for humanity. God made it to be so. I'm tired of people portraying marriage as some unattainable holy endeavor. Moreover, there are always arbitrary standards one has to abide by in order to meet the criteria of "marriatability." These include: being at least 25; having a presitgious degree; driving a nice car; looking beautiful; knowing precisely what career path you will follow; having a job lined up for 10 months down the road; possessing certain economic assets; dating for at least 15 years- but not before you are 21; being involved in numerous campus ministries and having x number of Christian friends; being faultless, sinless, well-loved and celebrated. Perhaps I'm out of my mind, but this is the sense that I get from many. I like J Vernon McGee's synopsis of what it takes to get married, "If you find a wonderful Christian girl, and she'll have you, well then..."
I am not discounting the sacredness of marriage. That's not what I'm talking about here. I know as well as many the hardship and commitment that love requires. I am only questioning why- in an age so perverse and inocculated with temptation- marriage is held like a carrot on a stick for young Christians. Of course it requires maturity. Of course it demands self-sacrificing love. But what I disagree with is setting the bar too high; that is to say, marriage should not be portrayed as only affordable to those who have reached some stellar, essoteric, non-existent plane of holiness. We shouldn't create false piety around things that are so explicitly permissable by God.
Knowing the Lord and walking in His Spirit- these should be the most important qualifications for marriage; we should not discount the nobility of possessing those things. As Christians, it's easy to become so focused on 'holiness' and excellence that we dissuade ourselves from stepping into areas where we might fail. Heavens no! It is like a perfectionist who beats himself up for making an A- instead of an A+. The person who makes the D can only shake his head in bewilderment that the perfectionist would complain. Having the Spirit of God is what is most important for marriage or for whatever other challenge in life . He is where our strength and competency come from, not by adhering to rules taught by men.
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5 comments:
Amen.
Words to live by. The Bible praises "the wife of your youth". God blessed me with one! Dad
Tom, in light of your request that I update my xanga blog, I have shut it down. I caved and started a blogspot blog. Incidentally, it was not necessary to copy this post to the new site.
Your Bro
That girl he is talking about...that's me!! And in 6 months, 2 weeks, and 5 days we are getting married.
Chris, what's your blog name? How do I find it? And will someone tell me how to add links to other bloggers on my site? Thanks. Oh, and Hi, Everyone! - mom
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