The thought of leaving my family here at Grace hurts me more than when I actually left my immediate family and home.
I have one month (more or less) here. I am determined to make sure it’s filled with memories and that I lived it out to the fullest.
I love you guys.
‘Even though we’re miles apart, I’ll keep you deep inside – you’re always in my heart.’
Yesterday, I was present in Area Teens Involved – you have presentations all day long of different ministries you can participate in: drama, puppets, singing, writing, etc. At the end of the drama or other presentation, you usually close with prayer. Some presentations are evangelistic in nature, and as you concluded: the prayers are evangelistic as well.
I just thought, though: how many times have we offended a person who doesn’t believe in the Christian faith when we’re praying for them?
‘If anyone here isn’t a Christian, please convict them of their sin and open their hearts to you…’
‘Please just send Your Holy Spirit and let them wrestle so much until they come to you…’
‘If there are any unbelievers…’
‘Help them to understand and recognize their sin…’
Really, if I didn’t believe in Christ, and I heard someone praying like that for me… I would be deeply offended. I honestly would.
I don’t think we generally realize that if we’re praying in a public place, we might just offend others when we’re trying to bring them to Christ. We don’t try to, but I think we do.
It’s hard to figure out the Christian terminology especially if you haven’t grown up in it – believers, unsaved, conviction, etc – and it would sound like a bunch of religious mumbo jumbo. It can also be offensive to be called out in a prayer for not understanding something or just having questions or by just being called some other name…
I think as that as Christians, physical representations of Christ, we need to discipline ourselves on what prayer really means and figure out different words we can use in our prayers. It’ll be unfamiliar and uncomfortable for us… But didn’t Christ talk to us in plain and simple English? And even then, our tiny brains still can’t comprehend it. If we truly love others and we care for them, we’ll want them to know the incredible joy we have: we don’t want to offend them while we’re praying for them. We want them to draw closer and not farther away. We might not like it at first, but don’t we at least owe it to our love ones to make sure we’re praying for them correctly and not flooding them with Christian jargon?
It’s about time I start thinking before I pray.
Dr. Roger Peugh is one of my professors here at Grace, and sometimes, I can learn things from him and sometimes I just don’t learn anything at all (not of his own efforts, mind you. I just don’t pay attention, or the topic just doesn’t interest me). He teaches many Biblical courses, and I’m in ‘Exploring the Bible’ this semester. Something he’s talked about quite recently and sometimes, quite frequently is marriage. For a time, he was a missionary to Germany, spoke in conferences, and he’s done many pre-marital counseling as well as regular counsling. So when he speaks about something or tells an illustration or story… It’s usually pretty good!
We’ve been reading 1 and 2 Kings lately and the division Israel faced with the kings Rehoboam and Jeroboam. We also talked about Hosea today. How does this all relate to marriage? There are at least 2 things that really struck a chord today: the devotion of marriage and the faithfulness that’s required in marriage.
Then the LORD said to me, “Go again, love a woman who is loved by her husband, yet an adulteress, even as the LORD loves the sons of Israel, though they turn to other gods and love raisin cakes.”
Hosea 3:1
Hosea was told by God to go and love a prostitute. As Dr. Peugh stated: How much hurt Hosea endured and what a picture of faithfulness! Here is this man – who undoubtedly loves this woman, yet she goes, night after night, giving her love to someone else. She has someone there for her! Someone who would care and love, respect, give, and die for her.. Yet she’s unfaithful and goes to someone else for pleasure. Hosea still stays with Gomer, his wife, no matter what – he keeps the doors open. He keeps the bed open. He still provides and loves her as God told him to. He chose to obey God, so he, therefore, chose to love her.
How breathtaking is that!
Not only is there this man who shows true commitment and what marriage is truly about… But then, there’s this God who does the same thing for us: so often times I leave my Love for some other lover… Whether it be my schoolwork, my friends, music, or even Jake. So many times have I left the house to find some other pleasure. And so many times has He still welcomed me back into the house, given me food, held me in His arms, kissed my forehead, and told me He loves me. What faithfulness God has shown us when we have committed such ache and agony in His own heart!
Other illustrations Dr. Peugh has told us are about marriages: the extreme devotion and faithfulness so many men and women have shown… Or haven’t. How there is so much pain in divorce – simply because one has a medical condition, or one was unwilling to be a servant, or just because something hurtful was said. How some couples just perfectly show God’s love and mercy at how they take care of each other during old age, during medical difficulties… It’s amazing how much meaning there is in marriage that we often overlook!
And it’s even more amazing how much of a commitment is supposed to happen within marriage: Marriage is forever. No matter what some magazine, talk show host, or best friend, or parent says. Marriage is a promise that you fully give yourself – your entire being – to someone else to better them – you live for them. You live for their hurts as well as their happiness. I’ve stated so many times how there is so much devotion show in marriage, and I just don’t think many Christians realize that nowadays.
When you say ‘I do,’ you say ‘I do give my entire being for you. I do give you all my happiness. I do give you all my trust. I do give you all my love. I do give you all my devotion. I do give you all my faithfulness. I do give you everything of me – everything that defines me as a child of God. I do give you everything because I love you.’
The question and challenge that I was given today is am I really ready for such a commitment? That through whatever happens, I will be faithful, I will be a servant, I will put my future beloved first through everything… Am I ready for that and have I found someone that I could tell that to?
…Am I even ready to say that to God? The One who brought me into His salvation and Who continually keeps the door open for me.
Isn’t this what marriage is all about?