This May Save Your Relationships
Most of your relationships that have failed have failed within the first two weeks even though you officially broke up some time later. Here’s why.
You are not capable by yourself of making a wise choice on a mate
Romantic relationships of the non-married type in the Bible took place in a culture that is completely different than ours. Today we live in a culture where dating and courtship are the accepted norms. In the Bible, marriages were arranged. In Genesis 28 we see Isaac giving his son Jacob instructions and guidance on how to go about finding his wife. He made it clear to his son where he did not want him to find his wife (Canaan). This is clear guidance from someone older and much wiser than Jacob on how to find a wife.
I am not advocating that we return to an arranged marriage culture. But I do think we can learn something from it. Whenever a son or daughter was to get married they always had a covering that guided them. In most cases it was a parent. However it can also be a spiritual leader or mentor in the case where a parent may not be available.
Jacob was young. He would have most likely chosen a wife from the Canaanites. But his father stepped in and stopped him. Today most marriages fail. In fact, most Christian marriages fail. And many never make it to marriage because they can never keep a stable relationship going.
I cannot stress to you more how important it is to have a spiritual covering in your life to help you make such decisions. It can save you tremendous pain down the line.
Before you start hanging out, introduce him/her to your spiritual covering
This is where things can get a little difficult. When you meet a person, it’s probably a good idea to introduce them to someone wiser than you. The problem is that many singles don’t have a covering. And those that do, tend to wait until it’s too late. Once a person is “hooked” there is nothing a spiritual covering can say that can change their mind.
Beware of the guy/girl who wants you to ignore the wisdom of your covering. If they are pressuring you to ignore the authority figures in your own life, what does that tell you about how they relate to the ones in their own lives? If you marry, what does that tell you about how obedient they will be to other authorities?
In every area of life we go to see an expert. If we need to do our taxes we go see an expert in taxes. If we need car repair, we go see an expert. If we need graphics or web design we go see an expert. We have no problem consulting experts in every other area of life, why not this one?
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Robert
I love theology and the challenge of making deep teachings non-boring. Let's face it, most of the time we hear theological teaching, it really is boring. Does it really have to be that way? Nope.
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Jonathan
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rjohn05
