It’s not
everyday that you hear the voice of the Lord calling you out onto the battle
field. I’d contend that it’s not even on a monthly basis that those faithfully
following His calling on their life are called to drag themselves out onto the
battle field to fight. Now I know that this sounds so contradictory to what our
beloved pastors tell us about the Christian walk. It’s a battle, we should be
waking up every morning ready to put the armor on. To take the words written to
the Ephesians by Paul literally and mentally place the full armor of God on so
that we can be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. (Ephesians
6:11) Don’t get me wrong, I believe that we are at war, it’s just that I don’t
think we are on the battle field everyday clashing our swords, shooting our
guns, and punching people in the face. (May have a few different movie fight
scenes combined in my description of a battle, but you get my point.) For many
this war is fought silently from home.
Each day we wake
up and have a choice to fight our own flesh. To choose our selfish desires and
neglect the opportunity that we have to train for the real battle. We give into
our own satisfaction, felt needs, and dreams of financial success and forget
that our days are not meant to be spent on us but rather in preparation for the
day God does call us to fight in the battle.
Recently I have
been reading a book by Dave Harvey called When Sinners Say “I Do”. It is a book focused on discovering the power that
comes from have a biblical perspective on the purpose of marriage and how the
Gospel must be at the center of such relationships in order for them to have
even the slightest chance at success. There is a chapter entitled Mercy
Triumphs Over Judgement that spoke
specifically to me this week that I wanted to share. No, I am not engaged. Yes,
I am in a relationship with a wonderful, godly man and if you know me at all
you know I don’t take these types of relationships lightly. I have spent the
past year reading books on how to develop godly characteristics within a
marriage and more importantly as a wife. The thing I have loved about this book
is that it is pointing out over and over again how central the complete
understanding of the gospel is to our lives, regardless of our relationship
status on Facebook.
“The faithful
practice of lovingkindness sows experiences of grace into marriage... they are
kindnesses sown into the normal routine of life. They are the grace moments that
we draw on in times of trial.” (Harvey, 2007) These grace moments shouldn’t
just be desired with your spouse. As I’ve searched for what it means to be a
godly wife I’ve bought into a theory that for some may seem strange. My pastor
once said that he would challenge those desiring to be married to stop looking
for the right man or women and become the right one. The more as a single women
I choose to fight my sin of selfishness, the more godly characteristics are
sown into the fabric of my everyday life. If I can’t show lovingkindness to
those around me now, why in the world would I expect to magically be able to
turn a switch on after my wedding day. It’s almost comical how often this type
of mentally takes root in our lives. I have talked with so many newly married
couples and a common theme is that they didn’t realize how selfish they were
until they got married. That’s funny, because I did. :) I wouldn’t have
questioned that one at all. I’m selfish and its the actions that I choose daily
that focus on training me up for the battle that matter most. One day I may be
married, but until then I will spend every second fighting the sins that have a
craving to disrupt the peace, joy, and beauty of such a relationship.
That’s what I
mean when I talk about God not calling me to the battle field today. Instead,
he’s called me to the training arena. To lift weights and focus on getting into
shape for the day that he does call me out.
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