Made for Relationship

K-Lai — Thu, 13 Nov 2003 09:40:00 -0800

Ah yes, the obligatory relationship post – trust me, unless it comes up again between 1 Corinthians and Revelation, I probably won’t rant on it again. Even then, I’m probably going to post on something more “spiritual.”

“I would like you to be free from concern. An unmarried man is concerned about the Lord’s affairs – how he can please the Lord. But a married man is concerned about the affairs of this world – how he can please his wife – and his interests are divided. An unmarried woman or virgin is concerned about the Lord’s affairs: Her aim is to be devoted to the Lord in both body and spirit. But a married woman is concerned about the affairs of this world – how she can please her husband. I am saying this for your own good, not to restrict you, but that you may live in a right way in undivided devotion to the Lord.”
- 1 Corinthians 7:32-35 (NIV)

I decided that I couldn’t skip through this part, since this topic seems to have come up quite a bit in the past few weeks. For a long time I’ve struggled with this passage, since Paul is basically saying that those who are married should stay married, and those who aren’t should stay unmarried. I kept thinking, if we do that, eventually the human race would die off (well, the Christians anyways). So I started thinking about this some more. God created us for relationship – with Him, with others. Given the cultural background and state of the Corinthian church, it’s more than likely that marriage, to them, was very similar to the way our society views marriage – a legal binding that allows each person to satisfy his or her own desires. Though I make this a blanket statement, obviously some people hold marriage to a higher standard than others. So while being single is the optimal situation if we want to be fully devoted to God, being married isn’t a horrible thing either. I find myself wavering between the two. Since I’m not married and aren’t in a position to be considering marriage, my hope and desire to one day marry is juxtaposed with my desire to serve God wholeheartedly. In some ways, it makes me feel like my desire for marriage is less than what God wants for me.

Of course, this isn’t true. God realized that living life alone isn’t easy (Genesis 2:18). Paul even concedes that this is very difficult – celibacy is a gift from God (1 Corinthians 7:7). So my hope and desire to marry shouldn’t conflict with my desire to seek God. Since His plans are perfect and for my good (Romans 8:28), I should be content regardless of where I am. Easier said than done. But I find that the more I seek God, the less I am likely to worry about the temporal things of this world. Even relationships will be worked out according to God’s timing.

So, for all those who are trying to figure out what the heck I’m saying, too bad. I make no sense on most days, especially when I’m thinking about relationships. It’s why I’m trying not to as much anymore. But personally, I don’t think that we should “kiss dating goodbye,” nor should we be “casually courting” people. When the right time comes, it comes fast – I’m seeing it in so many of my friends’ lives, it’s not even funny. So I think that I’ll be alright, single, or dating, ‘cause God’s got it all figured out. Now all I have to do is wait for that e-mail He’s going to send me to show up in my inbox…

k-lai.com: Made for Relationship

Made for Relationship