"Bigger, Better, Faster, More." (You Trade in Your Cell Phone, Why Not Your Spouse?)
Hey Everyone,
Our entire culture (here in America, at least) revolves around phrases such as, "Bigger, Better, Faster, More", "We Do It Your Way," and of course, the infamous, "The Customer Is Always Right." Here in America, we strongly believe in getting what we want--if something isn't to our liking, we simply persist until we get something else supposedly better. And if we don't like the way our politicians run things, we can (theoretically) vote them out of office. (I heard a cute quote once that God "tells it how it is because He doesn't have to worry about being re-elected.")
In a world where we insist on newer, better, faster, and OUR WAY when something no longer "serves our bests interest" or "meets our needs", how can we keep our hearts pure when it comes to a spouse? I personally think that with all our cultural programming, a significant other falls into the same category as anything else we "obtain."
"This cell phone is old, I need one with more memory, apps and options."
How can we separate that, from, let's say, "This person doesn't meet my needs anymore, and I deserve to be happy. If I'm not happy with this person, I need to look for someone else... with more memory, apps and options!"
How do we compartmentalize our thinking when it comes to marriage if everything else in life is "upgradable"? If we are constantly used to getting the brightest and the latest, what's to stop us from wanting to "trade in" our spouses in 10, 15, 40 years for a "newer, shinier version" that "better meets our needs"?
Unlike material things, God didn't create marriage with any rent-to-own, satisfaction guarantees, or return policies.
How do we keep our thinking straight regarding marriage in contrast from all the other areas of our life?
Hey Everyone,
Our entire culture (here in America, at least) revolves around phrases such as, "Bigger, Better, Faster, More", "We Do It Your Way," and of course, the infamous, "The Customer Is Always Right." Here in America, we strongly believe in getting what we want--if something isn't to our liking, we simply persist until we get something else supposedly better. And if we don't like the way our politicians run things, we can (theoretically) vote them out of office. (I heard a cute quote once that God "tells it how it is because He doesn't have to worry about being re-elected.")
In a world where we insist on newer, better, faster, and OUR WAY when something no longer "serves our bests interest" or "meets our needs", how can we keep our hearts pure when it comes to a spouse? I personally think that with all our cultural programming, a significant other falls into the same category as anything else we "obtain."
"This cell phone is old, I need one with more memory, apps and options."
How can we separate that, from, let's say, "This person doesn't meet my needs anymore, and I deserve to be happy. If I'm not happy with this person, I need to look for someone else... with more memory, apps and options!"
How do we compartmentalize our thinking when it comes to marriage if everything else in life is "upgradable"? If we are constantly used to getting the brightest and the latest, what's to stop us from wanting to "trade in" our spouses in 10, 15, 40 years for a "newer, shinier version" that "better meets our needs"?
Unlike material things, God didn't create marriage with any rent-to-own, satisfaction guarantees, or return policies.
How do we keep our thinking straight regarding marriage in contrast from all the other areas of our life?