Could I be equally useful to the Lord if married, or would it inevitably curtail my usefulness to him? The quantity of time available for Christian involvement may be reduced once we are married, but its quality may be enhanced. At all events, I have no right to marry unless I have honestly faced the question of the impact marriage will have on my Christian life and service.
-Michael Green
Which is more precious to You El Shaddai, quantity or quality of time? My heart knows the answer. But the question still remains what do You want me to do? What impact will marriage have on my relationship with You? As I revisit this question of how You want me to live this life which is a living sacrifice to You I am reminded of my perspective 95 days ago. Is marriage selfish? Or rather is it an opportunity to give up my life and focus on lifting up and serving one person intimately?
...you husbands must give honor to your wives. Treat your wife with understanding as you live together. She may be weaker than you are, but she is your equal partner in God’s gift of new life. Treat her as you should so your prayers will not be hindered.
-1 Peter 3:7
What if I spent my life honoring one person. Treating her with understanding. Making her weaker voice heard in this broken world. After the fall You cursed women by saying: And though you will have desire for your husband, he will rule over you. Thus throughout all the history of this world men have ruled civilizations and cultures. But in christian marriage "she is your equal partner in God's gift of new life." In this new life women's equality is restored and in marriage it is my responsibility to use my voice as a man to make sure her voice as a woman is heard in this patriarchal world.
What if I spent my life being her advocate like the Holy Spirit is to the church?
What if I spent my life being her servant like the Messiah did to the church?
What if I spent my life being her groom, loving her like God's marriage to the church?
What if marriage isn't selfish at all but rather it is living completely for that other person. To be Your encouraging leadership, to be Your comforting hands, to be Your counseling voice in this world. To have You pour Your character into me and thus pour out into her. To sacrifice this life You've given me through the sacrifice of Your life to show Your furious relentless love to one person, one woman.
Was it selfish of You to die on the cross so that You could be happy with us in Your presences? When I think about marriage in this way, when I rephrase the question and shift my perspective the idea that marriage is selfish seems to become one of the most absurd concepts ever uttered.
The fact remains, today I am not married today I am not engaged to be wed.
The question remains, could I be equally useful to You if married, or would it inevitably curtail my usefulness?
When we define our happiness by some point in the future, it will never arrive. We'll keep waiting until tomorrow. If we allow impatience to govern us, we will miss the gift of the moment. We'll arrive at that point in time we expected to provide fulfillment and find it lacking.
-Josh Harris
Today I am not married. Today Your presences is sufficient for me. Now I see marriage isn't selfish it is the act of dying to myself daily in order to serve and lift up one of Your daughters. To help my sister keep pushing forward no matter how dark, injured, and hate filled this world may appear to her. Because that is exactly what Rabboni did for me on the cross and Paraclete does for me daily.
Faint Not - Jenny & Tyler
where there is hatred, let me sow love
where there is injury, let me pardon
where there is darkness, let the Light come
-Michael Green
Which is more precious to You El Shaddai, quantity or quality of time? My heart knows the answer. But the question still remains what do You want me to do? What impact will marriage have on my relationship with You? As I revisit this question of how You want me to live this life which is a living sacrifice to You I am reminded of my perspective 95 days ago. Is marriage selfish? Or rather is it an opportunity to give up my life and focus on lifting up and serving one person intimately?
...you husbands must give honor to your wives. Treat your wife with understanding as you live together. She may be weaker than you are, but she is your equal partner in God’s gift of new life. Treat her as you should so your prayers will not be hindered.
-1 Peter 3:7
What if I spent my life honoring one person. Treating her with understanding. Making her weaker voice heard in this broken world. After the fall You cursed women by saying: And though you will have desire for your husband, he will rule over you. Thus throughout all the history of this world men have ruled civilizations and cultures. But in christian marriage "she is your equal partner in God's gift of new life." In this new life women's equality is restored and in marriage it is my responsibility to use my voice as a man to make sure her voice as a woman is heard in this patriarchal world.
What if I spent my life being her advocate like the Holy Spirit is to the church?
What if I spent my life being her servant like the Messiah did to the church?
What if I spent my life being her groom, loving her like God's marriage to the church?
What if marriage isn't selfish at all but rather it is living completely for that other person. To be Your encouraging leadership, to be Your comforting hands, to be Your counseling voice in this world. To have You pour Your character into me and thus pour out into her. To sacrifice this life You've given me through the sacrifice of Your life to show Your furious relentless love to one person, one woman.
Was it selfish of You to die on the cross so that You could be happy with us in Your presences? When I think about marriage in this way, when I rephrase the question and shift my perspective the idea that marriage is selfish seems to become one of the most absurd concepts ever uttered.
The fact remains, today I am not married today I am not engaged to be wed.
The question remains, could I be equally useful to You if married, or would it inevitably curtail my usefulness?
When we define our happiness by some point in the future, it will never arrive. We'll keep waiting until tomorrow. If we allow impatience to govern us, we will miss the gift of the moment. We'll arrive at that point in time we expected to provide fulfillment and find it lacking.
-Josh Harris
Today I am not married. Today Your presences is sufficient for me. Now I see marriage isn't selfish it is the act of dying to myself daily in order to serve and lift up one of Your daughters. To help my sister keep pushing forward no matter how dark, injured, and hate filled this world may appear to her. Because that is exactly what Rabboni did for me on the cross and Paraclete does for me daily.
Faint Not - Jenny & Tyler
where there is hatred, let me sow love
where there is injury, let me pardon
where there is darkness, let the Light come