As a young woman, reading the passage on marriage relationships in Ephesians 5 often leaves me disquieted and uncomfortable. It frustrates me and devastates me - not necessarily because of what it says, but because of how people use it. I watched a video recently on Youtube, featuring a young husband and wife who were taking questions and giving advice on Christ-centered relationships. While I thought a lot of what they had to say was loving and focused on God, I felt uncomfortable listening to the young woman speak. She went on about how her husband is such a leader in her life, and consistently led her to God for guidance. Is that a bad thing? No! But this woman was so wrapped up in her husband being the "head" or the leader in her life. I wondered if that young woman felt she could only lean on Christ through the guidance of her husband. If she could ask the questions she wanted to ask about her faith. If she could take the responsibility for her faith, and realize that she has the strength and ability to lead as well. To be a leader in her own life, and her husbands.
Familiarly, the passage is referred to as Paul's Instruction for Christian Households. It talks about the relationship between a husband and a wife and how they are to love each other. This is the full passage:
21Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.
22 Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. 24 Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.
25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her 26 to make her holy, cleansing[b] her by the washing with water through the word, 27 and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. 28 In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 29 After all, no one ever hated their own body, but they feed and care for their body, just as Christ does the church— 30 for we are members of his body. 31 “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.”[c] 32 This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church. 33 However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.
Ephesians 5:21-33
Here is what frustrates me: when this passage is used to justify the man's role as the "spiritual leader" in the relationship. It frustrates me because I have been growing in a relationship with God - I am thankful that I can go directly to Him. There is nothing between God and I. It saddens me to think that I need someone to govern that relationship, someone to show me how I can relate to Christ. I want to be a leader for the children that I have some day and for others in my life. I want someone who leads with me. I desire an authentic and independent relationship with Christ, and someday, I want to live life with someone who desires that same thing.
I have read this passage over many times, and discussed it with my parents and friends. I know what it says. I have also prayed about it, and tried to dig deeper into it. These are some thoughts I have worked out on the passage.
Don't Skip the First Line
Submit to one another out of Reverence for Christ. There it is. It is the first thing that Paul says. One another. Submission on both parts. And what for? For Christ. This line very often gets passed by - but it is part of the whole picture. Paul is expressing how important commitment and fidelity is to a Christ-centered relationship. Paul is calling both the wife and husband into action. They are both responsible parties in the relationship.
Spiritual Partnership
If you read the rest of the passage without reading this first line,
its meaning can take on something totally different. The passage goes
on to describe the male as the "head" and the female as being like the
church. Jesus is the head of the church - his people - and he also lays
down his life for the church. To have a Church-Jesus relationship, there is sacrifice on both ends.
From reading through this passage and spending time with couples in my life that model Christ-centered relationships, I have seen a spiritual partnership where both parties are focused on living their lives in Christ and encouraging each other to do the same. I believe that my relationship with Christ is my responsibility. I also believe that I am responsible for centering all of my other relationships on Him as well, and seeking His guidance. I want someone who lives in that same way. Who will walk beside me as we walk toward Christ.
Read it Through a Lens
The Bible is a book that we have to read carefully, and with prayer and guidance from God. I wholeheartedly believe that it is divinely-inspired, and that the living word of God is within the Bible. I don't think it is fair to take every word in that book at face-value, because it was penned by human hands.
Paul is writing in a time where most women probably couldn't read or write. He is also writing from the perspective or an unmarried man - one who never did get married. These are Paul's words, and we have to remember that Paul is not Jesus. I believe that he was a prayerful man, striving to live a Christ-like life, and his words were guided by the Holy Spirit - but he is not Jesus. We have to look at the way Jesus interacted with women. He spent time with Mary and Martha, His friends. He loved His mother, Mary. He stopped and talked to the woman at the well. Jesus did not regard women as lower than men.
Jesus calls women and men a like. He calls us to take responsibility for our relationship with Him. In marriage, He calls us to become one flesh (Mark 10:8). To no longer be separate, but to be as one. That means they are called together, they pray together, they make decisions together. They live a life in Christ together.
My Hope
This is why I write this: not just for myself, but for other girls my age, and older, and younger. I pray that you seek someone who wants to share your life in Christ with you. I pray that you sharpen each others' faith, and guide each other toward Jesus. I pray that you truly embrace being one flesh and living a life together. I believe if there is anyone in your life that does not believe that you can take responsibility, and be a leader in your life in Christ, then they are not really able to be a leader themselves. Leaders encourage each other.
In the video I was watching, the young man illustrated a God-centered marriage as being like a triangle. He talk about how as the man and woman walk together, they come closer and closer to the point - to God. That's just it - they have to walk together. One cannot walk ahead of the other, they both won't arrive at the same point. They can walk side by side toward Christ. As they near that point, they will find that a cord of three strands is not easily broken (Ecclesiastes 4:12).
~SP
* Rob Bell gives a really great exploration of Ephesians 5 in his book Sex God. It is thoughtfully written and very powerful. I highly recommend the entire book, but chapter 6, entitled Worth Dying For is focused on Ephesians 5.
Wednesday, May 29, 2013
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
Alone
Our society discourages us from being alone. We start to fear that if our worth is not being affirmed by a huge crowd of friends or peers, or a significant other, then we really don't have any worth at all.
Facebook is constantly trying to fix my loneliness: they try to appeal to me with both the secular (Match.com) and Christian (Christian Mingle) dating scenes. Every time I open up my computer, I have the opportunity to join for free and find God's match for me today!
When I reconnect with friends, the conversation quickly floats to dating and whether there is someone special in any of our lives at the moment. We want to make sure that none of us is alone. That each of us has something going on in our lives.
The pressure to be surrounded isn't limited to the dating world. Especially in college, we are always expected to be doing something - to always have plans. To make an appearance here or there. Make sure that our Friday and Saturday nights are full of activity and socializing. Our worth is assessed by our peers by how active we are.
Community is a wonderful thing, and Jesus calls us to embrace that. I had a conversation with a camper last summer. We were discussing some of the typical girl stuff that can be frustrating during the high school years. Things like boys, and friends that can come and go. I thought back to my high school years, and God's faithfulness in providing me with good friends to surround me and support me. I told her that God would provide the community that she needed - I had learned that from experience.
It is true - God will provide the community that we need. He will put friends in our lives to share with us in our joys and in our tough times. He does not want us to be alone. But He also wants us to know that He is the only thing that can truly meet our needs and our desires. He is the only one that can fulfill us.
There are times in the last few years that I have felt very alone. I have felt very far from my family, very disconnected from my friends and my community. I often tried eagerly to surround myself, and bring friends into my life, but it was like being a kid who was trying to put a puzzle piece into the wrong place. There is a space in each of us that we often try to fill with the wrong things. We think that by stuffing anything in there, we will cure any and all loneliness. But you have to put the correct puzzle piece in place to complete the picture. Growing up I have learned that there is a place in me that only God can fill. I have learned to trust in Him that He will provide community, relationships and anything else that He knows that I need.
There is no shame in being alone or feeling alone. We have to separate the world's idea of loneliness and God's idea of loneliness. God wants us to be alone with Him. Just Him. He wants us to know the He is enough for us, and He want's us to rejoice in that. There will be a season where He brings a special person into our lives; he'll put it on our heart to fire up that profile on E-Harmony. He will surround us with the friends and community that we need.
In Christ we are never alone. Once we fill the empty places within us with His love, we can end the futile search for the worldly things that cannot fill us. Even if you feel alone in the world's terms, your value to God is constant.
~SP
Facebook is constantly trying to fix my loneliness: they try to appeal to me with both the secular (Match.com) and Christian (Christian Mingle) dating scenes. Every time I open up my computer, I have the opportunity to join for free and find God's match for me today!
When I reconnect with friends, the conversation quickly floats to dating and whether there is someone special in any of our lives at the moment. We want to make sure that none of us is alone. That each of us has something going on in our lives.
The pressure to be surrounded isn't limited to the dating world. Especially in college, we are always expected to be doing something - to always have plans. To make an appearance here or there. Make sure that our Friday and Saturday nights are full of activity and socializing. Our worth is assessed by our peers by how active we are.
Community is a wonderful thing, and Jesus calls us to embrace that. I had a conversation with a camper last summer. We were discussing some of the typical girl stuff that can be frustrating during the high school years. Things like boys, and friends that can come and go. I thought back to my high school years, and God's faithfulness in providing me with good friends to surround me and support me. I told her that God would provide the community that she needed - I had learned that from experience.
It is true - God will provide the community that we need. He will put friends in our lives to share with us in our joys and in our tough times. He does not want us to be alone. But He also wants us to know that He is the only thing that can truly meet our needs and our desires. He is the only one that can fulfill us.
There are times in the last few years that I have felt very alone. I have felt very far from my family, very disconnected from my friends and my community. I often tried eagerly to surround myself, and bring friends into my life, but it was like being a kid who was trying to put a puzzle piece into the wrong place. There is a space in each of us that we often try to fill with the wrong things. We think that by stuffing anything in there, we will cure any and all loneliness. But you have to put the correct puzzle piece in place to complete the picture. Growing up I have learned that there is a place in me that only God can fill. I have learned to trust in Him that He will provide community, relationships and anything else that He knows that I need.
There is no shame in being alone or feeling alone. We have to separate the world's idea of loneliness and God's idea of loneliness. God wants us to be alone with Him. Just Him. He wants us to know the He is enough for us, and He want's us to rejoice in that. There will be a season where He brings a special person into our lives; he'll put it on our heart to fire up that profile on E-Harmony. He will surround us with the friends and community that we need.
In Christ we are never alone. Once we fill the empty places within us with His love, we can end the futile search for the worldly things that cannot fill us. Even if you feel alone in the world's terms, your value to God is constant.
~SP
Thursday, May 16, 2013
Charity: The Giving and Receiving Ends
Poverty has been made to be a very uncomfortable issue in our society. I will admit that even as I write this, I am
rambling, because it is hard to carefully choose words. In a song written by Ben Haggerty, known to his fans as Macklemore, he asserts that "America the Brave still fears what we don't know." Haggerty is addressing a different social issue, but I think this idea can extend to all kinds of inequities. We often write out checks, but avoid interaction with people living out on the streets. We try to live in a separate world from the impoverished. We forget that that is a direct contradiction of how Jesus lived - among the poor and outcast. Our charity won't mean much if we don't consider those we are giving it to as our equals.
Charity can be such a glamorous thing on the giving end, but can be a very hard thing on the receiving end. We often feel that being in need shows weakness. Donald Miller addresses this situation very poignantly in Blue Like Jazz. He talks about a lady that he sees in the grocery store, buying her food with food stamps. He describes the urge he feels to pay for the lady's food for her - but he stops himself, because he knows that his pity will draw attention to the situation, possibly embarrassing her. Miller isn't saying that it is wrong to be charitable, but we really have to think about how and why we do it. Our charity means nothing if we are making another human being feel less than human.
Part of our growth in Christ is growing in our giving - finding out the ways we are called to give, and how we can give the resources that God has blessed us with in a way that glorifies Him. My church often talks about a triad of ways to give - time, talents and treasures. We are called to give our money, and we are called to give our hands and feet in service. One component cannot overcompensate for another - we are called to give generously in each of those ways.
There is nothing wrong with giving charity. There is nothing wrong with receiving it either. There is nothing wrong with being in a place of need. We are always in need of God's grace. We are always unworthy. God doesn't give to us so that we will feel lowly, He gives to us so we can know that He sees us as worthy. He calls us to give in that same way - not to boast in our charity, but to give generously and thoughtfully.
~SP
Charity can be such a glamorous thing on the giving end, but can be a very hard thing on the receiving end. We often feel that being in need shows weakness. Donald Miller addresses this situation very poignantly in Blue Like Jazz. He talks about a lady that he sees in the grocery store, buying her food with food stamps. He describes the urge he feels to pay for the lady's food for her - but he stops himself, because he knows that his pity will draw attention to the situation, possibly embarrassing her. Miller isn't saying that it is wrong to be charitable, but we really have to think about how and why we do it. Our charity means nothing if we are making another human being feel less than human.
Part of our growth in Christ is growing in our giving - finding out the ways we are called to give, and how we can give the resources that God has blessed us with in a way that glorifies Him. My church often talks about a triad of ways to give - time, talents and treasures. We are called to give our money, and we are called to give our hands and feet in service. One component cannot overcompensate for another - we are called to give generously in each of those ways.
There is nothing wrong with giving charity. There is nothing wrong with receiving it either. There is nothing wrong with being in a place of need. We are always in need of God's grace. We are always unworthy. God doesn't give to us so that we will feel lowly, He gives to us so we can know that He sees us as worthy. He calls us to give in that same way - not to boast in our charity, but to give generously and thoughtfully.
~SP
Monday, May 13, 2013
YOLO
YOLO is an acronym that has come about in the past year or so that people use to abbreviate the phrase "you only live once." It is popular, and probably originated from, the younger generations. It has a spectrum of uses; it might be said before someone eats their least favorite flavor of jelly bean and it might be said before someone jumps of an airplane (hopefully attached to a parachute).
Most of the time it is a harmless phrase - until it precedes a poor decision or action. We say YOLO as if it will cancel out whatever poor choice we are about to make.
There's another popular acronym that most people are familiar with, or have at least seen on a bracelet around someones wrist: WWJD. It stands for What would Jesus Do. This acronym seems archaic at this point in time - I haven't seen one of those bracelets in years. When I was little, my family had a book entitled What Would Jesus Do? We often read it as a family before bed. I wasn't too interested in this book as an 8 year old - it had a very Laura Ingalls Wilder meets Children's study Bible kind of flavor. At that point in my faith life, singing vegetables were the way I connected with God's truths. But, I am was able to remember the phrase.
If I were to start preceding all of my decisions with WWJD, in the same way that people use YOLO, it think I would come off as pretentious and trying to purport a holier than thou attitude. However, it should be on my heart and at the forefront of my mind. Are my intentions Christ-like? Are my actions self-glorifying or God-glorifying?
YOLO might have some value to it - you only live once, so what are you going to do about that? We should live in a way where our character and identity define the choices we make, instead of the other way around. This can be tied back to Paul's words in Ephesians 4:1 - a life worthy of the calling we have received. You only live on earth once, so make it worthy of your heavenly calling.
Here's some practical advice from one of my favorite Youtube stars:
~SP
Most of the time it is a harmless phrase - until it precedes a poor decision or action. We say YOLO as if it will cancel out whatever poor choice we are about to make.
There's another popular acronym that most people are familiar with, or have at least seen on a bracelet around someones wrist: WWJD. It stands for What would Jesus Do. This acronym seems archaic at this point in time - I haven't seen one of those bracelets in years. When I was little, my family had a book entitled What Would Jesus Do? We often read it as a family before bed. I wasn't too interested in this book as an 8 year old - it had a very Laura Ingalls Wilder meets Children's study Bible kind of flavor. At that point in my faith life, singing vegetables were the way I connected with God's truths. But, I am was able to remember the phrase.
If I were to start preceding all of my decisions with WWJD, in the same way that people use YOLO, it think I would come off as pretentious and trying to purport a holier than thou attitude. However, it should be on my heart and at the forefront of my mind. Are my intentions Christ-like? Are my actions self-glorifying or God-glorifying?
YOLO might have some value to it - you only live once, so what are you going to do about that? We should live in a way where our character and identity define the choices we make, instead of the other way around. This can be tied back to Paul's words in Ephesians 4:1 - a life worthy of the calling we have received. You only live on earth once, so make it worthy of your heavenly calling.
Here's some practical advice from one of my favorite Youtube stars:
Thursday, May 9, 2013
Because He Loves Us: Going to Church
I have often heard the debate on whether it is necessary to go to church in order to be a Christian. People argue that if you live out a Christ-like existence in all other ways, but leave out church attendance, you can still consider yourself to be a Christian. You can...however, you will be missing out on something wonderful and generous that God has provided for you.
Part of being a follower of Christ is loving Him. He calls us to do that. Through scripture, Jesus calls us to love and care for our neighbors, people on the street, the less fortunate, the least of these. He tells us that by loving these people, who He has created, we are also loving Him.
The Bible is full of the theme of a marriage between Jesus and the church. He takes the church as His bride and He loves her. The marriage language that Jesus uses to describe His relationship with the church is so intimate and profoundly beautiful. He is excited about His love for the church - just like any person would want their future spouse to be excited about their approaching wedding day. In the same way that Jesus calls us to love others - because in doing so we are loving Him - He also calls us to love and serve within the church, because He loves the church.
Sometimes I watch Dancing With the Stars with my mom, not because I love it, but because she loves it. Sometimes I watch football with my dad and brother, not because I love it, but because they do. It is not because I like those things, but because I love my mom, dad and brother.
Jesus asks us to do the same with His church. He knows that church can frustrate us. He knows that the Packer game is on at noon. But He asks us to love the church and participate in it. He has given us this opportunity to build a community with other believers to support each other and to further His mission of making disciples of all nations. The church is a mission field that we often forget about or neglect.
There is a reason that Jesus loves the Church so much - the church is made up of us. He doesn't love the building, the pews, or the stained glass. He loves that we are there, and we are coming together in His name. In Matthew 18:20, Jesus says "For where two or three gather in my name, there I am with them."
Part of being a follower of Christ is loving Him. He calls us to do that. Through scripture, Jesus calls us to love and care for our neighbors, people on the street, the less fortunate, the least of these. He tells us that by loving these people, who He has created, we are also loving Him.
The Bible is full of the theme of a marriage between Jesus and the church. He takes the church as His bride and He loves her. The marriage language that Jesus uses to describe His relationship with the church is so intimate and profoundly beautiful. He is excited about His love for the church - just like any person would want their future spouse to be excited about their approaching wedding day. In the same way that Jesus calls us to love others - because in doing so we are loving Him - He also calls us to love and serve within the church, because He loves the church.
Sometimes I watch Dancing With the Stars with my mom, not because I love it, but because she loves it. Sometimes I watch football with my dad and brother, not because I love it, but because they do. It is not because I like those things, but because I love my mom, dad and brother.
Jesus asks us to do the same with His church. He knows that church can frustrate us. He knows that the Packer game is on at noon. But He asks us to love the church and participate in it. He has given us this opportunity to build a community with other believers to support each other and to further His mission of making disciples of all nations. The church is a mission field that we often forget about or neglect.
There is a reason that Jesus loves the Church so much - the church is made up of us. He doesn't love the building, the pews, or the stained glass. He loves that we are there, and we are coming together in His name. In Matthew 18:20, Jesus says "For where two or three gather in my name, there I am with them."
...That's right, it doesn't. But part of living out our faith, and striving to live in a way that Christ lived and a way that He loved is by loving and serving within the church. It is a place for Christ followers to come together in God's name and to keep the doors open so that others might join.
~SP
Monday, May 6, 2013
Naked
Over the past week I've had time to read more books than I usually do in a year - *2 whole books, and they weren't required for any of my classes. The books were very different, but at one point they each brought up the story of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden.
After Adam and Eve eat the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, they realize they are naked, and they scramble to find leaves and whatever else is available to cover their bodies. They experience a sense of shame. Adam and eve were the first beings of their kind - they had nothing to compare their naked bodies to. There were no other human beings walking around wearing clothes. After they have eaten the fruit, God asks them, Who told you that you were naked? (Genesis 3:11).
Naked is not just the state of being without clothes. Naked is just as you are. Naked allows you to be seen wholly and truly - that is how God sees us, and loves us for it. The world sees naked as shame and incompleteness. In our society today, unless we live in a specific clothing-optional community, we have to wear clothes out in public. But society pushes us to wear clothes of certain brands and styles, do our hair a certain way, drive a certain car, be seen with certain people at certain places.
When God asks Adam and Eve how they came to realize that they were naked, He does so with a heavy heart. He knows. They had partaken of the fruit from the tree that He had instructed them not to. God gave Adam and Eve Eden, this place that was enough. This place where they could just be in His presence. A place where just being themselves, naked as they came, was enough. Once they took the fruit, they felt unworthy. They felt like they had to search for their worth in the world around them.
Earlier this semester and friend and I were talking about Adam and Eve before one of our classes. She pointed out an important detail in the story: God slaughters innocent animals to provide fur for Adam and Eve to cover their naked shame. There is no coincidence that many years later God would send His son, innocent and blameless, to die on a cross in order to cover our shame.
God is enough for us. We can stand before Him with a naked heart, and He loves us. It is God's job to clothe us in His love and His righteousness. He is enough for us. He makes us worthy.
~SP
* If you are interested, two good books that I'd highly recommend are Sex God by Rob Bell and Stuff Christians Like by Jonathan Acuff.
After Adam and Eve eat the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, they realize they are naked, and they scramble to find leaves and whatever else is available to cover their bodies. They experience a sense of shame. Adam and eve were the first beings of their kind - they had nothing to compare their naked bodies to. There were no other human beings walking around wearing clothes. After they have eaten the fruit, God asks them, Who told you that you were naked? (Genesis 3:11).
Naked is not just the state of being without clothes. Naked is just as you are. Naked allows you to be seen wholly and truly - that is how God sees us, and loves us for it. The world sees naked as shame and incompleteness. In our society today, unless we live in a specific clothing-optional community, we have to wear clothes out in public. But society pushes us to wear clothes of certain brands and styles, do our hair a certain way, drive a certain car, be seen with certain people at certain places.
When God asks Adam and Eve how they came to realize that they were naked, He does so with a heavy heart. He knows. They had partaken of the fruit from the tree that He had instructed them not to. God gave Adam and Eve Eden, this place that was enough. This place where they could just be in His presence. A place where just being themselves, naked as they came, was enough. Once they took the fruit, they felt unworthy. They felt like they had to search for their worth in the world around them.
Earlier this semester and friend and I were talking about Adam and Eve before one of our classes. She pointed out an important detail in the story: God slaughters innocent animals to provide fur for Adam and Eve to cover their naked shame. There is no coincidence that many years later God would send His son, innocent and blameless, to die on a cross in order to cover our shame.
God is enough for us. We can stand before Him with a naked heart, and He loves us. It is God's job to clothe us in His love and His righteousness. He is enough for us. He makes us worthy.
~SP
* If you are interested, two good books that I'd highly recommend are Sex God by Rob Bell and Stuff Christians Like by Jonathan Acuff.
Wednesday, May 1, 2013
All of My Life, In Every Season
I am constantly pushing ahead to the next thing.
...in a year when my undergraduate career is complete...
...in two years when I've completed my internship...
...in three years when I'm looking for a job...
...soon when I'm married with children...
I fool myself into thinking that the frustrations and the stress that I am experiencing now will go away when I get to the next thing. The current stress and frustration will...but there will be new growing pains for new situations.
I have long been an impatient person. Sometimes it gets me into a little trouble, and sometimes it gets me into a lot of trouble. It's something I pray about, and ask God to work on with me.
I have been learning this: God has a purpose for me in every part of my life. He is truly taking the journey with me, and not just focused on the destination. He doesn't want me to rush through anything, because He wants to use me where I am right now.
A few posts ago I talked about a book I had just read by Joshua Harris. I've continued to mull over the ideas in Harris' book after I have closed its final page. Harris highlights the desire of young adults to want to push past their single years and find their happily every after with Mr. or Mrs. Right. We think of singleness as a time that we just have to push past, get done with. That's how our culture often treats it too - as a painful lonely time. We fail to see that God has a purpose for us in that time. There are things we need to do on our own to grow in our relationship with God, friendships we should focus on, and ministry we are called to. God gives us this time for us to get to know ourselves and to strengthen our identity in Him. He doesn't want us to race through it.
We can look at our future careers in the same way. I am ready to be a registered dietitian. If you gave me the RD exam, I would probably take it tomorrow without studying. Not because I am prepared for the exam, but because I am so eager to work and use all the knowledge I've gained in my coursework at school. I'm also ready to be done with homework, have my weekends open and some of the other things that go along with college life. Those days will come.
So what if we press fast forward? We eliminate all those pictures in photo albums that we cherish and reminisce in. We eliminate all of the scrapbooks with our first spelling quizzes, first awards, drawings and paintings for art class. We may think that those are small things at the time, but when we look back, it will be the small things that matter. God wants to fill those pages. He wants to take the time, go day by day with us.
The title of this post is from the Desert Song. It reminded me of the passage in Ecclesiastes that talks about the seasons of our lives. There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens (Ecclesiastes 3:1). God has provided us time for great things in our lives, but it is His time, and He knows when we will be ready for it. He wants to use us where we are right now. There is never a time when we are like dead weight to God. He is never not doing something in our lives. God knows the right time, and when we arrive at this time, we will know that it is too.
~SP
...in a year when my undergraduate career is complete...
...in two years when I've completed my internship...
...in three years when I'm looking for a job...
...soon when I'm married with children...
I fool myself into thinking that the frustrations and the stress that I am experiencing now will go away when I get to the next thing. The current stress and frustration will...but there will be new growing pains for new situations.
I have long been an impatient person. Sometimes it gets me into a little trouble, and sometimes it gets me into a lot of trouble. It's something I pray about, and ask God to work on with me.
I have been learning this: God has a purpose for me in every part of my life. He is truly taking the journey with me, and not just focused on the destination. He doesn't want me to rush through anything, because He wants to use me where I am right now.
A few posts ago I talked about a book I had just read by Joshua Harris. I've continued to mull over the ideas in Harris' book after I have closed its final page. Harris highlights the desire of young adults to want to push past their single years and find their happily every after with Mr. or Mrs. Right. We think of singleness as a time that we just have to push past, get done with. That's how our culture often treats it too - as a painful lonely time. We fail to see that God has a purpose for us in that time. There are things we need to do on our own to grow in our relationship with God, friendships we should focus on, and ministry we are called to. God gives us this time for us to get to know ourselves and to strengthen our identity in Him. He doesn't want us to race through it.
We can look at our future careers in the same way. I am ready to be a registered dietitian. If you gave me the RD exam, I would probably take it tomorrow without studying. Not because I am prepared for the exam, but because I am so eager to work and use all the knowledge I've gained in my coursework at school. I'm also ready to be done with homework, have my weekends open and some of the other things that go along with college life. Those days will come.
So what if we press fast forward? We eliminate all those pictures in photo albums that we cherish and reminisce in. We eliminate all of the scrapbooks with our first spelling quizzes, first awards, drawings and paintings for art class. We may think that those are small things at the time, but when we look back, it will be the small things that matter. God wants to fill those pages. He wants to take the time, go day by day with us.
The title of this post is from the Desert Song. It reminded me of the passage in Ecclesiastes that talks about the seasons of our lives. There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens (Ecclesiastes 3:1). God has provided us time for great things in our lives, but it is His time, and He knows when we will be ready for it. He wants to use us where we are right now. There is never a time when we are like dead weight to God. He is never not doing something in our lives. God knows the right time, and when we arrive at this time, we will know that it is too.
~SP
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