More thoughts on married life....

While I knew that being married and all that entails is nothing like you see in the movies, it's interesting how 'normal' and easily we have moved into being a married couple. Yes, we are newly weds, but even that term can be fraught with some glorious expectations and innuendos when in reality, life plugs along for us just like every other person on the planet. We take out the trash, we garden, we pull weeds, we cook meals, we entertain friends for dinner, we clean bathrooms and do laundry, we wash dishes, and feed our cat, Simon. Normal stuff...I don't quite know why I'm writing this or if somehow I expected life to become sort-of dream-like in the everyday reality.

Of course there are the moments of wedded bliss and snippets of precious stolen moments, like sitting on our front porch last night with the light off and looking at the stars...sometimes talking but just holding hands and enjoying the beauty. Or waking up in the middle of the night to a raging storm and turning over to hold one another and enjoy the thunder and lightening and rain pounding down on the roof. Or taking long walks in the afternoon through our neighborhood, talking about the day, visioning and dreaming about the future.

But it struck me yesterday that really, married life is nothing like the movies, and a small part of me felt a bit of anger toward the film-making industry...not for me, but for all the young people out there who are bombarded every day with images of marriage and wedded bliss that simply are not even close to reality. The fantasy that Hollywood and other film industries present in abundance today are fueling an already sexually charged and idealistically deluded young population, which could lead them into unrealistic expectations about life, love and happiness.

I have never been happier than I am now as a married woman; I have more joy in me and peace than ever before; but it's not solely as a result of being married to a wonderful man. Primarily, it's because I'm married to a man who loves Jesus first and as we both put Him in the center of it all, the love, joy, happiness, peace, fun, adventure, purpose and calling all fall into place. There is even great fun in the mundane when the spouse the Lord has given you is by your side! But it's nothing like the emotionally charged blissful picture so many movies try to plant in our imaginations. I'm not sure I'm explaining myself very well, nor am I sure why I'm even blogging about this except that maybe some young (or even old) person out there needs to read this and bring that false picture into line with the Word of God and His reality, which is more joyful, wonderful and fulfilling than the movies portray.

New Bible

A friend of mine gave me a sweet gift certificate for my birthday for a Christian bookstore here in town. I finally visited this store, where I could have spent many more hours than I did, and settled on buying a new Bible!

It's called the New Spirit-Filled Life Bible for Women and while there are many things I love about it, one of them is the various thoughts and letters written by godly women, which are interspersed throughout the Bible itself. These letters are reflections on the particular passages next to which they are placed.

Today as I read 1 John, I read the letter (parts of which are excerpted below) by Lisa Bevere, a noted author and speaker, who has a son named Arden! :-) I am facing two challenging personal situations in my life right now and these words really struck my heart as they are reflections on 1 John 4:18 which says, "There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love."

Oh, don't we all long to be made perfect in love?!

Here are Lisa's thoughts in part:

"The love of God drives or casts out fear. This description confirms that fear is a spiritual force that must be dealt with spiritually. We are to cast out spirits and deny our flesh. Fear is conquered when we resist the base human tendency to preserve ourselves.

"The spirit of fear wants to prevent this from happening, so it tries to trick us into believing we must protect our selves. But the very nature of love opposes the nature of fear. Love lays down its life while fear tries to preserve it. I have learned that I am incapable of protecting myself. I have tried and failed. But love never fails.

"Fear and love both operate from belief in the unseen. Love challenges us to doubt what we see and believe what we cannot. Fear urges us to believe what is seen while doubting the unseen. Fear displaces love, and love casts out fear. Fear is the spiritual force that is in direct opposition to God's love and protection in our lives."

Good food for thought!