I once came across a blog post where the writer was talking about her experience at a wedding she recently attended. According to the writer, the pastor who officiated the wedding ceremony kept making reference in both his remarks and sermon to how great marriage was. According to her, he made her feel less of a person because she wasn't either married or with a significant other who she was thinking of marrying. The way she saw it, there was nothing wrong with being single and she didn't particularly like being put under pressure to get married as she didn't think that being married was any more special than being single. From the comments made to the post, most people seemed to have that view. Personally, I think they miss the point.
In the book of Genesis, after God created the Heavens and the Earth and he had made man, he looked at the man and declared that it was not good for the man to be alone. He brought all the animals to Adam so he could name them all but amongst the animals, there was none that Adam could relate to or with even after he had named them because there was none like himself. So God made the woman who was like the man. Therefore God made the woman for the sake of relationship, communion, agreement and help. If you've read enough of the Bible, you will understand that the scriptures contain some very funny mathematics equations when it comes to marriage. For example it tells us that one plus one gives us one. It also tells us that while one will chase a thousand, two will chase ten thousand. Even the Apostle Paul tells us that there is a mystery about marriage. According to him, the unity in marriage between a man and a woman is like the unity in the Godhead itself. In Genesis, we see the unity of the Godhead where they declare to themselves that they should make man in their own image and after their likeness. We even understand that that marriage is a hounourable institution.
The question then is, is being married better than being single with regards to living a full and fulfilling life with regards to finding your purpose and doing it? No. I do not believe that being married is better than being single. It's a choice. The Apostle Paul even said it was better to remain single and serve God with a focus that would not be distracted by a husband. However, do I believe there is something special about marriage? Absolutely. I do believe that marriage is a special institution ordained by God that he takes great pleasure in. This is especially true when that marriage produces children who are then taught God's ways by their parents.
I believe one of the great things about marriage is that it teaches us about caring deeply and wanting to please someone other than ourselves. We have to come out of our selfish zones and bend over backwards to express the love of God to this person we are bound to. Also, we have the powerful opportunity in our marriages to model the love and unity of the Godhead and that, I think is something pretty special.Therefore rather than denigrating marriage or thinking that it doesn't matter or that there is nothing special about it, I honestly believe it is something we as Christians should look forward to as it gives us a peculiar opportunity to show people the Christ that lives in us.
Therefore when next we go to a wedding ceremony, those of us who are single should not think that because we are not married, God loves us less or we are less spiritual. It's just that two people have decided to share their lives together to the exclusion of everyone one. (Not totally true but you get my meaning). It is something we should be happy for them for instead of grousing about how we feel excluded. We should wish them well and pray that some day, we also will have the grace to find that one person we want to give up everything for, let down the walls we have built and share a love filled life with.
In the book of Genesis, after God created the Heavens and the Earth and he had made man, he looked at the man and declared that it was not good for the man to be alone. He brought all the animals to Adam so he could name them all but amongst the animals, there was none that Adam could relate to or with even after he had named them because there was none like himself. So God made the woman who was like the man. Therefore God made the woman for the sake of relationship, communion, agreement and help. If you've read enough of the Bible, you will understand that the scriptures contain some very funny mathematics equations when it comes to marriage. For example it tells us that one plus one gives us one. It also tells us that while one will chase a thousand, two will chase ten thousand. Even the Apostle Paul tells us that there is a mystery about marriage. According to him, the unity in marriage between a man and a woman is like the unity in the Godhead itself. In Genesis, we see the unity of the Godhead where they declare to themselves that they should make man in their own image and after their likeness. We even understand that that marriage is a hounourable institution.
The question then is, is being married better than being single with regards to living a full and fulfilling life with regards to finding your purpose and doing it? No. I do not believe that being married is better than being single. It's a choice. The Apostle Paul even said it was better to remain single and serve God with a focus that would not be distracted by a husband. However, do I believe there is something special about marriage? Absolutely. I do believe that marriage is a special institution ordained by God that he takes great pleasure in. This is especially true when that marriage produces children who are then taught God's ways by their parents.
I believe one of the great things about marriage is that it teaches us about caring deeply and wanting to please someone other than ourselves. We have to come out of our selfish zones and bend over backwards to express the love of God to this person we are bound to. Also, we have the powerful opportunity in our marriages to model the love and unity of the Godhead and that, I think is something pretty special.Therefore rather than denigrating marriage or thinking that it doesn't matter or that there is nothing special about it, I honestly believe it is something we as Christians should look forward to as it gives us a peculiar opportunity to show people the Christ that lives in us.
Therefore when next we go to a wedding ceremony, those of us who are single should not think that because we are not married, God loves us less or we are less spiritual. It's just that two people have decided to share their lives together to the exclusion of everyone one. (Not totally true but you get my meaning). It is something we should be happy for them for instead of grousing about how we feel excluded. We should wish them well and pray that some day, we also will have the grace to find that one person we want to give up everything for, let down the walls we have built and share a love filled life with.
JC Cruz is the author of
DECEPTIO published by WestBowPress, a division of Thomas Nelson publishers, http://bookstore.westbowpress.com/Products/SKU000194087/Deceptio.aspx and LOST, BUT FOUND available at http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DPLLEUQ/. You can
follow him on Twitter @Cruz_JCReal.
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