Howdy!!
Yesterday was a HCG injection, first to ask Ty to help out with ever! I mixed the solutions, switched needles, and all, then Ty cleaned the injection site and then couldn't do the shot. How could I forget, I married a man who passes out at first aid videos.How in the world would he be able to give his wife a giant injection. So I had to spin around and do it myself. The doc called and my progesterone level was 19.9, good, so I will return to his office on Wednesday for more blood work and an US.
In class I was teaching my kids about possible outcomes and I brought a ton of ours sons clothes to build outfits as an example. The kids went wild, finally putting together that we are adopting. The sweetest little girl brought a gift with baby blankets and a congrats card the following day. I know God put me in their lives, and more often than not I feel like the impact they make on me is 10 fold mine.
In church we have been studying marriage in a sermon series in honor of Valentines. We have pledged to honor and respect marriage and stop the social complacency that we have fallen into. I challenge each of the Christian couples out there to do the same. I admit I have sung along to the Britney song who's lyrics are something like "are you in? living in sin is the new thing".....Society has taught us to accept friends and family living together before marriage, attend secular weddings, turn an eye to unfaithfulness, attend divorce parties, etc. When did we turn our backs to the perfect union God designed? We are clearly taught how it is supposed to be, and then we wonder why it doesn't work out for half the couples in America. We challenge couples out there to live in union with Christ, for that is what we are called to do. Our vows should be to our Lord not each other. We struggle with the social realm of marriage in our lives, connecting to our marriage in Christ, and believe Christian couples need to hold each other up in prayer and accountability. Challenge yourself.....it is a daily challenge for us! However, if our marriage is not based in faith and God's design what worldly desire is it grounded in?
Praying for yoU!
ReplyDeleteNikki, I love the fact that your church is challenging Christian couples to reassess the sanctity of marriage. This season is a great time to devote to reflection and study. Valentine’s day happens to fall just before the season of Lent and I think that is very convenient. However, I do have to question some aspects of the challenge that has been issued here.
ReplyDeleteI hate the bracelets and I know it’s corny, but right now I am asking myself, “What would Jesus do?” I wonder if Jesus would accept the challenge to exclude himself from society and avoid secular weddings and “turn and eye” to unfaithfulness.
There are several quote that come to mind right now. The first is John 3:17, God did not send his Son to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. I am also reminded of the conversation he had with the Samarian woman at the well. Though he did in no way condone her actions of having had five husbands and currently living with a man she was not married to, he did not judge her. Instead he embraced her with love, assured her that he accepted her and if she accepted his cup she would thirst no more then left her with the simple request, go and sin no more.
Again I am reminded of a story of Jesus dealing with marital unfaithfulness, when the Pharisees and the Teachers of the law approached Jesus in the temple and asked him to agree to the stoning of a woman caught in adultery.Hhis response was to let him without sin cast the first stone.
As I read through the Gospels I don’t find a Jesus that condemns the outsiders. I do see one who very openly opposes the religious people looking down from their high-horses, but never do I see him oppose a Gentile. I did read about him breaking bread with prostitutes and tax collectors. I did read of him telling the thief next to him on the cross that “today, you will dwell with me in paradise.”
I would like to propose a new challenge to you as well as anyone else who is interested. Instead of seeing the non Christian couple who lives together before marriage as “sinners,” try to look at them as people. I challenge you to get to know them. I challenge you to build community with them. Not to attempt to convert them to Christianity, but instead to just learn their names, their likes and dislikes, their favorite color, their middle names. I promise you that if you accept this challenge, and truly focus on living in community with the sole purpose of your interaction being simply to live as Christ lived and to love as Christ loved, the Gospel will present itself.
Christ did not come to condemn but to save. Through love. Perfect love. If you want to renew the sanctity of your own marriage, that is AMAZING and I support it 100%. But we must realize that we have no right nor authority to impose our Christian beliefs on others. Christ never did. He simply offered a new way of life, and if we are to live as he did, then we are only authorized to do as he did.
I have to be honest and say that this post really upset me when I read it. I hope that my reply has not been offensive or intrusive. However, I do think that from time to time we have to pull a few planks out of our own eyes.
Grace and Peace
Thank you for you great post! By no means was it offensive but right on board with our beliefs and lifestyle. You are biblicaly and morally correct in your calling to not judge others. So many times we catch ourselves thinking if we are not Christ for those people, who else is called to. We were married with the intention of glorifying God through our marriage and through loving and serving others is how we are able to live that out!
ReplyDelete