January 28, 2004

  • Fielding Comments & Questions


    Where did you go this past weekend?  (J9rs)  I went up to the Bay area for a Dry-Run retreat for WCC.  (It was more like a long planning meeting.)  It was fantastic!  I got a chance to talk to a Vietnamese sister who got a hand in leading her parents to Christ (it was soo encouraging!).  I discovered a new form of art at Santanarow called Glycee with a friend.  I got to see two good old college friends (Julie & Colleen).  And I visited GRX.  (P.S. Natalie, I'm really sad that we crossed paths over the airways again!!!)


    What happens if you marry a wifebeater, does God expect you to stay in the marriage?  (lisazapato)  You're right, Lisa, the key is to know who you're marrying (take it slow, ask for counsel from others, know his family & friends, make sure your friends and family approve, etc).  Now, you ask, what if you couldn't have seen it coming?  Well, what you're asking me about is actually a symptom of the real problem - the prob is that we're all sinners!  The verse tells us that God hates divorce - but ultimately, God hates it when we sin.  It's sinning (selfishness, wanting to have one's own way, not submitting to the other in love, self-control uncurbed, anger in excess, etc) that is the root cause of what makes a "wrong guy".  But it's when Jesus comes into the picture that these things change (we learn selfless love, treating others better than ourselves, submission to each other, self-control, patience, kindness, etc).  If you marry someone who you know really knows Jesus and seeks to be like Him, then you've got a higher chance that you won't marry a bum who will beat you up later.  

    But to really answer your question, God works on a case by case basis.  If you were in a situation like that (one where you're in the kind of danger that He wouldn't want you to be in), I think you pray, seek God's will, seek counsel of others and take actions based on that.  The great thing about God - He's dynamic.


    Talking to Strangers - Mikey, your comment seriously made me laugh.  It's not like I've only used my feminine wiles to have conversations with men.  I've gotten many chances to talk to women too.  In fact, most of the really awesome conversations I've had have been with women (usually I try to sit next to women). :)   It's not an "opposite sex" thing; it's a God-thing.  In fact, I was just skimming a book earlier that spoke of the ease at which people open up to strangers.  Maybe there's safety in the unknown.  And maybe, even more so, I believe it's the gratefulness people feel in having a genuinely interested, listening ear.  The deepest hurts often get unraveled in these conversations.  So when they do share these things, you have the opportunity to minister to them with Love.


    Janine, I think that's really wonderful that people respond to you by asking all those questions.  Perhaps you could do some reading on some of those frequently asked questions.  Perhaps too, you can work on a simplistic way to present the gospel.  :)   Pray for the right words to speak. :)


    Marriage & Missions - I agree that God never intended marriage and missions to be mutually exclusive.  In fact, I'm sure He intended that you ought to be able to serve Him with a partner "better together than apart" -- however, it just so happens that marriage can also be one of the biggest distractions from "missions" also.  Especially for women (like Cindy said).  There are just so many things to take care of!