Gary Thomas on Making A Wise Marital Choice: Sacred Search

It's not about who you marry but why you marry...

A good marital choice is like a gift that keeps on giving. A foolish marital choice is like a bad investment that you keep having to pay off. We don't know what we have to face in the future but God allows us to choose the person with whom we face our trials and successes.

10 yrs after you're married, what kind of tears will you be crying? Tears of frustration or tears of gratitude and joy? Will you be thankful for the growth you have received in your marriage or feel burdened and distressed?

The best way to have a healthy soul building marriage is to listen to the words of Jesus:

"Seek the Kingdom of God[a] above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need."

Matthew 6:33 (New Living Translation)

The more this verse drives your choice is the more you will be blessed. Jesus leads us in the wisest marital choice we could make. Being in love or infatuated with someone is not a good enough reason to get married. Infatuation leads to idealization and ascribing strengths to a person that doesn't exist. You can't be infatuated with someone for the rest of your life.

Infatuation has never sustained a single marriage. Marriage is hard but a rich ground for learning about communication, encouragement, conflict, forgiveness and compromise. Infatuation and sexual chemistry are necessary but not enough. It serves a purpose but it is not enough.

Insisting on infatuation before marrying someone could blind you towards someone who could make a good marital partner.

Selfishness gets boring but when you get married to seek first the kingdom of God then as a couple you are able to have a sustained intimacy with God's leading. A small life can't sustain a big marriage. You will get bored with each other and resent each other for being bored. If a woman respects a man that respect is going to grow because his character is going to blossom.

We don't choose to be infatuated but if it does happen, you can gather a group of friends and let them know that you are vulnerable and that they should watch over you.

Seek first the Kingdom, not just church involvement but the hearts and souls of people.

~Love God,Live life,One Enkounter at a Time~

Comments

Taken

A blessing given, a privilege taken... What would you have grown up to be? Who can say? You never lived long enough To swim across the river like the bigger boys, To climb mango trees, hunt for ‘swims’, Suck cocoa seeds all day in the summer, Collect bird egg, go to market on your own. You never lived to learn how to play an instrument Maybe the drums or the guitar Or maybe the piano, the trombone They can never tell the tale of how you studied hard For the GSAT or maybe the CXC, CAPE, SAT, GRE... Or even how you never loved the books but could sing, Dance, draw, cook, paint, fix tings good. Ever describe that look on your face when You get your first job, purchase your first car, Start your own business, experience loss, bounce back ‘Check you first catty’, marry her Gracefully receive a position of leadership Walk into your own house, hold your first child in your hands. Who, what, and how can they ever explain why y...

The Unchanging One

In awe of you I stand, examining your plan for this life and the next, but all the world’s a mess My vision is at best clouded and all around me shrouded by the darkness that unfolds in the most unlikely of places I see it on those faces Once filled with your joy and peace Now they’re longing for release From the sickness and disease in life See how they struggle with the strife that seeks to pull them under Lord sometimes I wonder, when will it all end? But until then Until the answer comes When at last the battle’s done My gaze will remain transfixed Never flailing, forever remaining with you The Unchanging One. ~Live Life, Love God, One Enkounter at a Time~

The Story Behind-'Cherish the Love'

Ok...here's the story behind this event. I have two blogs that are my pride and joy that I like to experiment with, one can be traced back to me and the other is fairly anonymous (innocent stuff:). So I was doing some updates and checking out the stats, tweeting and all of that when I stumbled across #februarywish as a group/topic/search trending worldwide on twitter! Anyway, not surprisingly, most of the persons on there were throwing a pity party online and I could so relate. Bah Humbug! Last year that was my position. I even wore full Black (was going for the Mortisha Adams look) to the Pre-Valentine's Dinner I attended and was sour most of the time to say the least. Mid-way through the dinner and even during my 'on-stage performance', I just wanted to go home, not even company in misery could cure this case. You see the thing with Valentine's day is that there is no fooling yourself...you can't ignore it (unless of course, you are half robot). It is just...

Enkounters

Search This Blog