That Knight Fell Off His White Horse Again!?

Alright, so how many of you girls have boyfriends (or wifes who have husbands) out there who are just the perfect "Knight in Shining Armour?" They know exactly what you're thinking when you frown, they respond estatically to that little "cute" surprise you threw them, and they jump at the first chance to go shopping with you for hours on end. Anybody? Ok, so maybe some of you could answer those three examples with a "yes", but my guess is your guy doesn't always do exactly what you want or expect him to. And should he? Well we often think so, or at least we are told so by the movies we watch, the books we read, or the dreams we have of "the perfect man" rescuing us from our distress, no matter how little. Is that really how things work?

Uhmmm, no. (And on the same token, praise the Lord we aren't held to such high standards ourselves!) So why do we have this "idolatry of idyllic love", as John Ensor puts it in his book, "Doing Things Right in Matters of the Heart"? Ensor explains it this way:

"No man can fulfill the deepest longings of the human heart because these longings belong to God alone and connot be fulfilled by another. Our desire for a healthy, tender, passionate, enduring mutually fulfilling life with a good man or woman will always be a work in progress. There is no perfect marriage, only two people pledged to live together for better and worse. The best lover is still a sinner."

Isn't that so true! More often than not, we girls tend to think that if we only had a boyfriend, or if we only were married, then we would be happy and fulfilled. But God tells us in His Word that nothing of this world will truly satisfy the longings of our heart. Even the most fulfilling human relationship can only pale in comparison to the eternal relationship we can have with our Creator. It is also for this reason that the Bible tells us there will be no marriage in heaven. Even the most intimate relationship we enjoy on this earth cannot come with us into the next life - nor should it! For we will be enjoying our True Love for all eternity and praising His Name forevermore, no longer infatuated with the "loves" of this world.

So ladies, as you look to your boyfriend, fiance, or husband to be your "all-consuming delight", remember that you are not only setting him up for failure and dissappointing yourself, but you are also missing the one true fulfillment in life - Christ. (Ensor, 49 )

"Do not be anxious, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' [or 'Who shall we marry?'] For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you." Matther 6:31-33, addition mine.

All this talk about marriage

I must confess, I have been held captive by a most popular topic for young women (or any woman, for that matter) - marriage...whether it be the events leading up towards, the wedding itself, or the life changing process afterwards. It is the thing most women long for, and many spend countless hours planning for, but all for what? Is the wedding ceremony the culmination of the entire marriage? Or perhaps the honeymoon cruise to the Bahamas? But what happens after the wedding? Does the marriage continue in wedded bliss?
Well, from one on the outside, looking in, I can't answer those questions from my own experience. But I can sure try to find out, with all the books written out there on how to "divorce-proof" your marriage, "spice up" your sex life, and especially those written on how to find "the one" worth keeping, even (or especially) on the Christian side of things. So how many people does it take to unlock the mystery of marriage? Ten? One Hundred? One Thousand? Thankfully, we don't have to read all the books (and believe me, I've tried) or catch the latest "trick" on how to get through married life, because we have God's inspired word to guide us through any problem. I'm not proposing that the Bible is an explicit "how to" book on every issue we face in life, but I am proposing that the Bible is sufficient for any situation we may face in this life, and provides ample direction for our choices. So the next time you pick up a "self-help" book, attempting to solve (or avoid) the problems in life, think again and pick up your Bible instead. While it may not have a table of contents to point you to the exact chapter and verse of wisdom, His Word is sufficient for everything we face in this life, for Christ was tempted in every way known to man, and yet did not sin. He is not only familiar with our trials and temptations, but He endured them unto death on a cross, bearing our sins because we could not.
So when you think that marriage will solve your problems, think again, and look to Christ as your Savior, forever, amen.

Thoughts on Cultivating a Pure Passion

It has been a long while since I have posted, and of course a lot has happened in the past five months, but the significant event I speak of today happened only two days ago. This past weekend was a blur of activity, craziness, joy and sadness, all wrapped up into a "simple" event most every little girl (and big girl, too!) dreams about. Have you guessed yet? Yes, this past weekend was (one of) my best friend's wedding, and I had the pleasure of being one of her bridesmaids. It is funny to reflect on the past four years of our lives together, thinking of all the times we worried about finding a guy, and then worried about how to find the "right" guy amongst all the wrong ones, worried about if the guy we liked was really the guy God had specially picked out for us, and finally worried how we would make it until the wedding day! All along, however, God was at work in both of us, in vastly different ways, forming our relationships and cultivating love, while we worried about what was coming next!

Looking back, however, after my best friend has finally found and married that one special person that she will share her hopes and dreams with, I see how far their relationship has come in the short year and a half they have been courting. When I first learned of my best friend's interest in her now husband, I must say that I was not just a little skeptical. I mean, how could any guy understand my best friend enough to think he was worthy of her companionship? I know now that I was wrong, but at the time, it only seemed like he was taking her away from me. In a short amount of time (a year, but really only 5 months was he there), I learned that not only did he care for her, respect her, cherish her and love her, but he also cared about getting to know her friends better too (Guys, getting in with her girlfriends is the key)! I soon was assured that this "boy" that took my best friend away from me was not only a really wonderful guy, but also was genuinely the best man in the world for her. And so even though I already do and know I will miss our "roomie" experience terribly, I can honestly say she traded me for an even better roomate, and more importantly, the most perfect mate she could have found. All this, and more, God had planned and designed just for her! How silly of us to worry then, and how silly of us to worry now, for as He clothes the wildflowers in all their splendor, so much MORE will he clothe each of us, providing for our deepest needs in ways greater than we could ever imagine.