A Lasting Covenant

I must apologize for the delay in this post, as I was out of town celebrating the marriage of a very dear friend. As I participated in the glorious celebration, I began to reflect on what it truly means to be married.

The most important thing to realize is that marriage is not a man-made institution. It did not originate in a lawyer's office, the government did not create it, and no other religion had it before Christianity. The first union between a man and a woman took place when God created a helper for Adam. Of all the creatures He had created throughout the six days, all of them were male and female. Except for Adam. He was the only one of his kind.

This was the only time in the whole story of the creation that God decides that something was not good. Adam was alone and God saw that he should have a helper, yet of all the beasts of the fields that were brought to Adam, none were the helper that Adam's heart was seeking. So God created that helper, and that helper was woman. Her name was Eve.

Immediately following the creation of Eve, the Bible says that a man shall leave his parents and cleave to his wife. In the very second chapter of the first book in the Bible, marriage is already mentioned. Eve was no longer just a woman, she was a wife.

Jesus then took this institution and redefined it. He explained to us how he is like the bridegroom and the Church is His bride. After teaching us this, He then proceeded to give His life so that His bride had a chance for eternal life. He gave the ultimate sacrifice for us, asking only that we serve and support Him.

That in itself is the ultimate definition of what it means to be married. A woman will submit to her husband. This is a sign of her love, as women were cursed with the desire to rule over their husbands after eating from the forbidden tree. In the same way, husbands are to love their wives as Christ loved the Church.

Women are to submit. Men are to sacrifice. Both are two monumental tasks that are extremely difficult for our sinful natures. Why? Because both of these commands require us to put another before ourselves no matter the circumstances.

So how is this possible? The answer is simple. A marriage without God is no marriage at all, for He was the Divine Creator of the institution. It is not between a man and a man. It is not between a woman and a woman. In fact it isn't even a commitment between a man and a woman. It is a covenant. A lasting covenant between a man, a woman, and God. It takes three to make a marriage work.

Marriage calls for forgiveness, but how can we forgive if we do not know Mercy? Marriage calls for sacrifice and submission, but how can we know these traits if we do not know the Servant? Marriage calls for strength, but how can we stand up to anything if we don't know God's Strength?

Above all, marriage calls for love. But how can we love, how can we truly, selflessly, fully love someone, if we do not know who Love is?

Kony 2012

Do you know who he is? Joseph Kony is the man who abducts children from their homes and forces the boys to become soldiers/murderers (this includes taking the lives of their own parents) while the girls are forced to be sex slaves. This is against everything we stand for as Christians. I didn't know who Joseph Kony was, I didn't know what he did and is still doing. As a believer in the sweet children that Jesus allowed to come to Him, I will not stand for this injustice. Will you?
Maybe you didn't know who he was, as I myself did not, but now you do. Are you going to stand for God's children to be abducted and forced into sin?

If you didn't know, now you do. What are you going to do about it?

Gifted

What if someone were to ask you at this moment what you were really good at. Whether or not you voice it aloud, chances are one or two talents that you have been born with or spent your life honing will pop into your head.
Maybe you're a musician, or a writer, maybe you have a gift of understanding, maybe you are an artist, or maybe you can understand the complex world of technology. Each of us has been gifted with some talent or another and we know, as Christians, that it is our duty to use our God-given and God-honed talents to praise and glorify Him.
But what about those talents that you'd rather not speculate on how they formed?

I once knew this little girl who was the subject of bullying from the moment she entered school. In preschool she found a friend in another bullied young boy. Together they could withstand the teasing of those around them as long as they had each other. Yet, one day, the boy decided that he was tired of being bullied and joined with their tormentors to turn the game into three against one. Imagine the pain she felt when her best friend betrayed her. Imagine the pain Jesus felt when one of His twelve betrayed Him.
I watched as this girl went through to elementary school. In third grade, she was once again ridiculed by those around her. At recess and lunch, she would sing to her best friend, a silent and young tree on the outskirts of the soccer field. One day, a soccer ball came flying through the air towards her. For a flashing moment, she dreamed that she would be able to kick the ball back and score a goal to the joy of all. But she was no athlete and the soccer ball smashed across her face, stunning her. The entire third grade errupted into hysterics at her pain and humiliation as tears streamed down her cheeks. Oh the pain she must have felt. The Jesus must have felt as He was mocked by the ones He came to save.



I know the pain she felt, for that girl was me. And often I wondered why it was that I was the subject of ridicule my entire life. As I grew, I adapted to the world around me, learning to stay under the radar of those mocking voices of my peers. Until, one day, I watched as a mentally challenged girl was ridiculed by two of the popular honors students that I shared my classes with. I knew exactly how she felt, and something inside of me couldn't stand to see the sight of my high school peers be so heartless and cruel.
...I rebuked them, forsaking my chances of ever joining the ranks of the popular, athletic honors students, but I suddenly didn't care. I had dreamt of being on top of the world as most high school students are apt to do, but at what price? My own hurtful experiences helped me to understand the feelings of those around me.

It was a painful gift to learn. But it is most certainly a gift. Being the subject of bullying has given me the strength to stand up for what's right on the behalf of others. It also came with the ability to understand. I have empathy for those hurting around me, and I can offer advice freely because of my own painful memories.
So take heart, life may be hard, it may cause pain, in fact I know it will, but each storm cloud will pass and bring an even brighter morrow. Thank God for the suffering you experience, for it just might change your life. It just might allow you to stand up for others. It just might be a talent that no amount of practicing can create. It just might bring about the change you've been hoping for.
...You just might be gifted.