For Better, For Worse
9:03 PM
"For better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health…" These are the words we memorized and proclaimed to each other on August 27th, 2011. Being married was by far one of the best decisions I have ever made. I'll never forget how excited I was to walk down the aisle and marry the love of my life. I couldn't believe I was going to get to spend the rest of my life with Daniel Kokubun!
We willingly give ourselves away at the atlar. We give all we are, all we have to one person: a human. We know, that- regardless of how much someone loves us, that person will end up failing us. They are human: they have sin running through their veins. Yet we promise to stand by their side, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health….
Which brings me to a simple question I have been pondering much as of late. If we are so willing to trust a human being with all we are when things go well or when they become disastrous… whatever happened to trusting God, even when circumstances He plans for our lives are not favourable.
We want the “welfare Christianity.” God, I’ll follow you- but here’s my list. I must have (and you can fill in the blank here- a good job, a nice car, a happy healthy family, a painless life… etc, etc.) Perhaps we don’t openly hand Him a list, but we sure have our agenda. I think all of us when we get married have our list of “expectations.” Expectations set up for disappointment, because let’s face it- no one’s perfect, and we all fail. Yet somehow, we think we can bring our list of expectations to God and say, “I surrender all-- but you would never do anything that would bring me hurt right?”
Why is it, that we are willing to trust a person with everything, knowing they will fail us, but the moment God allows hurt into our lives somehow we feel we have a right to get bitter and mad at Him? Where are the Christians who will stand up and say, “God, no matter what you do in my life, I will follow you, until death.” Where are the Christians who will rip up their list of expectations and their hopes of a happy Disney World Christian life to say, “Here, God. Take my life. I surrender all. I’ll take pain, I’ll take suffering, I’ll do anything, just to be yours.”
I greatly admire the faith and courage of Elisabeth Elliot who said, “Faith need never ask, 'But what good did this do to me?' Faith already knows that everything that happens fits into a pattern for good to those who love God. An inconvenience is always, whether we see it or not, a blessed inconvenience. We may rest in the promise that God is fitting together a good many more things than are any of our business. We need never see 'what good it did,' or how a given trouble accomplishes anything. It is peace to leave it all with Him, asking only that He do with me anything He wants, anywhere, anytime, that God may be glorified.”
Wow, what surrender. Oh, to have a heart like hers. True love, as we read about in 1 Corinthians 13, ¨Bears all things.¨ This could mean putting up with a tiny inconvenience or being willing to bear and endure deep suffering. True love ¨Bears all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.¨ (1 Cor. 13:7)
When I stood at the altar on August 27th, 2011, I committed to 'for better or for worse' with Daniel, for the rest of our lives. It´s a commitment I gladly made. He was more than worth it.
We’re willing to trust a human being who will fail us. But God, He won’t ever fail us. And although sin brings a myriad of unfortunate circumstances into our lives, we have a promise: That His story will be perfect. We might not like our role in it, or what it means for us at the time being. But when did we start believing that it’s all about us anyways? It’s not about us. Period. It’s not about our happiness. Period. Happiness will come, one day... But right now, He’s working His story and His plan. Will we trust Him, for better or for worse? Till death… ?
We willingly give ourselves away at the atlar. We give all we are, all we have to one person: a human. We know, that- regardless of how much someone loves us, that person will end up failing us. They are human: they have sin running through their veins. Yet we promise to stand by their side, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health….
Which brings me to a simple question I have been pondering much as of late. If we are so willing to trust a human being with all we are when things go well or when they become disastrous… whatever happened to trusting God, even when circumstances He plans for our lives are not favourable.
We want the “welfare Christianity.” God, I’ll follow you- but here’s my list. I must have (and you can fill in the blank here- a good job, a nice car, a happy healthy family, a painless life… etc, etc.) Perhaps we don’t openly hand Him a list, but we sure have our agenda. I think all of us when we get married have our list of “expectations.” Expectations set up for disappointment, because let’s face it- no one’s perfect, and we all fail. Yet somehow, we think we can bring our list of expectations to God and say, “I surrender all-- but you would never do anything that would bring me hurt right?”
Why is it, that we are willing to trust a person with everything, knowing they will fail us, but the moment God allows hurt into our lives somehow we feel we have a right to get bitter and mad at Him? Where are the Christians who will stand up and say, “God, no matter what you do in my life, I will follow you, until death.” Where are the Christians who will rip up their list of expectations and their hopes of a happy Disney World Christian life to say, “Here, God. Take my life. I surrender all. I’ll take pain, I’ll take suffering, I’ll do anything, just to be yours.”
I greatly admire the faith and courage of Elisabeth Elliot who said, “Faith need never ask, 'But what good did this do to me?' Faith already knows that everything that happens fits into a pattern for good to those who love God. An inconvenience is always, whether we see it or not, a blessed inconvenience. We may rest in the promise that God is fitting together a good many more things than are any of our business. We need never see 'what good it did,' or how a given trouble accomplishes anything. It is peace to leave it all with Him, asking only that He do with me anything He wants, anywhere, anytime, that God may be glorified.”
Wow, what surrender. Oh, to have a heart like hers. True love, as we read about in 1 Corinthians 13, ¨Bears all things.¨ This could mean putting up with a tiny inconvenience or being willing to bear and endure deep suffering. True love ¨Bears all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.¨ (1 Cor. 13:7)
When I stood at the altar on August 27th, 2011, I committed to 'for better or for worse' with Daniel, for the rest of our lives. It´s a commitment I gladly made. He was more than worth it.
We’re willing to trust a human being who will fail us. But God, He won’t ever fail us. And although sin brings a myriad of unfortunate circumstances into our lives, we have a promise: That His story will be perfect. We might not like our role in it, or what it means for us at the time being. But when did we start believing that it’s all about us anyways? It’s not about us. Period. It’s not about our happiness. Period. Happiness will come, one day... But right now, He’s working His story and His plan. Will we trust Him, for better or for worse? Till death… ?
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