God has been speaking a lot of stuff into my life and it is awesome! I am so grateful for Christian friends who are there to support me and love me when things aren't going as they should (or as I think they should).
I have felt unusually heavy lately. I don't know what is wrong with me but I feel like I am carrying a huge burden. Is it mine? I am not sure! I need to pray about it and see if I am supposed to be praying for someone in particular. I am tired. I do know that! A long vacation is the ticket. Too bad I can't afford that ticket...oh well!!!
Camp! It is just around the corner. Oh but I can't wait. I am so excited to see my girls!!!
I made a B in chemistry!!! I can't believe it myself. I am so glad to be done with that subject never to revisit again! Now I can move on to this fall when I will be taking 21 hours and crying myself to sleep at night! No, it won't be that bad. I will be putting in a whole lot of study hours everyday though!
Have you ever wondered why we surround ourselves with awesome, wise, Christian adults and then don't listen to their wisdom? Why even find those people who we respect and look up to if we do not take their advise and learn from them?
I have never, in my life, heard a married couple say "man, I am so glad that I slept around with all of those people and dated so many individuals when I was younger...it has really helped my marriage!" No, of course they don't say those things! It doesn't even make sense. Every Godly couple that I know will tell you that they wish they had not given little pieces of their hearts to so many people thus not saving everything for his or her spouse.
If a person really believes in love and an everlasting marriage with a "soulmate," how can that same person be attaching soul ties to half of the town?
God can restore someone's heart completely for his or her spouse but there will always be consequences for actions. I can't expect God to restore my heart for my spouse if I am dating everybody I can find up until the day that I meet the person that I am going to marry! That's like planning to steal something and also planning to ask forgiveness afterwards. We, as a society, need to stop being so naive and pretending that we don't know about the baggage carried into marriages because of past relationships!
We do know about it if we surround ourselves with Godly, married couples! So either you know what you are doing and choosing to mess with your heart or you need to find yourself some good adults!!!
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15 comments:
Congrats on the "B". I know that wasn't an easy class.
You burden sounds heavy, God will more than likely use it to deepen your wisdom. I know that there is a lot going on right now. Watch, listen and pray. You are going to see that even when people do mess up, it gives the Father an opportunity heal.
I would probably agree about the fact regarding past relationship do bring along baggage, but not always. There are important and critical checkpoints that people must go through to grow. Growth does not occurr in a vaccuum. In many ways we as young adults don't appreciate blessings until we see them walking out the door.
Dating is great experience to know and understand the how the other side sees and thinks. The tricky part is not crossing the line (emotionally or physically). Christian couples can help a lot on this. But don't guard yourself too closely as you may miss the opportunity of getting to know your soulmate.
T
Ah yes Theo but I can get to know people without dating them!
True, but think of all those free movies and dinners are you are missing out on.
haha...who is that?
Natalie!!
Wow, first of all i miss you SO much!!!
rita used part of that post in youth tonight, and it was great. you're an amazing woman of God, and HONESTLY- i can only pray that he would grow me in the way that he has you. would you pray for that? i miss you and i can't WAIT to see you in a few weeks! SO EXCITED!!!
I love you, Natalie Sutton!!
*morgan
So, free meals not a big incentive I guess?
Godly couples can teach a lot to singles like love, respect, conflict resolution, compromise, etc. The key thing to recognize is that relationships really do take work. They are not for the faint of heart or the selfish.
While Paul (dude from Bible with a bad jail record), defined love for the Corinthians, he did it from God's point of view - His perfect view. So that includes forgiveness, which you may find may be required of your future husband if "gave our a few little pieces" of his heart.
Wisdom comes from knowledge and most knowledge is acquired through experience. And, not all experiences are good ones - the key is that experience, both good and bad, can translate into wisdom. Wisdom plus God makes a powerful witness in a fallen world.
T
good stuff...
looking forward to seeing you in a few weeks...
still need to talk to you about my convo with my dad...
love you...
love to mom, dad and bro...
jen
Show me one example in the Bible of a dating relationship!!!
There are no examples in the Bible of a dating relationship. It is not about dating, it is about courtship. You are going out, or hanging out with someone so that you can get to know them. As long as lust does not enter into the situation then it is a pure realationship. (as far as I am concerned.) I think that because we are not in a culture that allows you to have time to get to know people socially by sitting down with families and eating for three hours, ect. we are forced to make time to get to know people. What you see as "dating" is not Biblical. It has everything to do with the reason you are doing it. Anyway, if you need more from me you know I am always willing to give it. Talk to you later,
Matt Martin, (Theo!!!)
I have decided to add something that I will get into trouble for, but I am going to do it anyway. In the Bible the women really did not have a choice in who they were going to marry. That was decided between the man and their father. Once again, I do not believe in dating when it refers to lustful and physical relationships, but a woman now has a choice of who they are going to be with. In our busy lives we have to make time for the people we want to truely get to know. Dating is just a way of setting time aside to "hang out" and get to know someone. That is all I see a date as being. Anything more leads to serious problems. It is impossible to decide who you want to marry without being able to sit down and talk with them. If you do not like dating in that regard, I can only give you two options in finding a husband. (and I know you want one sooner or later) First is to wait on a guy to barter with your father to buy you, the Biblical way. (Isaac got his wife for several camels full of gold.) The second is waiting for the guy to just end up being there. I believe that God can supernaturally put couples together; I have no problem with that. I think you will have to make your own decision according to your prayer life, and what God has called you to do. I personally used to think that it was just going to happen, but I am now to the point where I am wondering if God is waiting for me to move. (I have been praying about it and I am sure God will tell me when the time comes.) Anyway, I am living on no sleep so I have rambled on a little. I am not going to prof read, so, Sorry.
Talk to you sunday if not before,
Matt Martin (theo)
So I don't often post Theo, but your definition of dating is more like my definition of courting. I think you have to be very careful as a christian to validate something using a word that is completely worldly. Dating is not "hanging out" to see if you have anything in common, by the time the first "date" is suggested, one or more of the couple's hearts is poised to be hurt. A date is first proposed when someone (usually the guy) is attracted to a female. If we are wise in guarding our hearts, then the Lord will bring someone without the wordly dance of I like you-do you like me-I don't like you anymore, I am moving on to the next intirest to see if I like them better. Hearts are broken, and the very ungodly idea of "It didn't work out, I'm going to try again with someone new is practiced perhaps many many times." Not to mention that if anything physical happened before you figured out she wasn't the one, you have just messed with another man's wife. Consequently, if your future wife feels the same way, she is out there practicing on other men too. About the only thing that might bring you is her learning new kissing techniques, although then again that might not work for you if you aren't as "proficient" in that arena as her other "maybe God's choice for me partners." I have heard the exscuse "I have to date to get to know someone better" many times. It sounds like a good argument for the flesh to be satisfied. I am living proof that you do not have to date to find "the one."
Actually many of my friends never "dated" either. There are many different versions of courting. Basically it is a term to use that states, I am extremely serious about you, and I expect this to lead to marriage. It works really well. Right away the guy talks to her Dad and if you aren't ready to do this, you shouldn't be wasting her time. There are many different ways to get to know someone better without being exclusive, and in reality the person you see on your first, second, third, fourth,etc. dates is not the real her anyway. The girl will order a salad when she is dying for a cheeseburger, make small talk and just generally not be herself. On the other hand, seeing her play a game of scrabble or play capture the flag with the church, you just might learn more about her than in six months of dating. There is a better way and it's time for our generation to take a stand that hasn't been taken in many years. I would be happy to talk to you more about this. By the way, if we were still bargaining for wives, no man in the world would be able to aford my sister. She is absolutely priceless, and the only way a guy will have the priviledge of waking up to her every morning, will be because God must trust him very much.
Noelle (I really hope I spelled your name right),
I agree with you whole heartedly, to an extent. The only reason that Christians use the term courting is so that they can separate what they do from the world. For some reason (which is kind of funny coming from me) I see that as semantics. In my experience, it is not what you call it, but how you do it. I just do not see how you get to the point with someone where you want to court them without spending time with them. I personally do not have time to spend with people unless I make time. (especially since my new job has me working 12 hours a day, 6 days a week, no lie.) So once again I see dating as not a physical or emotional thing, but a chance to "hang out" and get to know someone better. I guess I can see where this could be more comfortable in a group, but if both hearts and minds are in the right place I do not see that as necessary. If it is a physical or emotional thing it is wrong. BUT, courting is two people saying that they want to find out if they are made for each other. I think there is still a lack of the physical, and you must still guard the emotional, but it is one step further than getting to know someone. I have a hard time seeing how you can get from acquaintances to courting without finding time for one another to get to know each another. I can't say that I have done what I personally call dating but once or twice, and I did have the other type of dating when I was 19 and I hurt her feelings very badly. (that is a story for another time.) I really think I do want to talk to you sometime Noelle, because I just do not see how you get from here to there without an in-between. (maybe I am missing something.) Then again maybe I do not trust God enough, but sometimes I think I should trust myself more. I need your e-mail address, I would rather not talk about it anymore here because I have to be too careful with my words.
Matt Martin
Ok, just to clarify the whole trusting God thing. I have just gotten to the point where I am wondering whether I need to wait on God longer, or is God waiting on me? It is not a lack of faith, just a lack of understanding in what God is doing. The desire of my heart is to have a family and God has not put me in that situation yet. So, am I waiting on God's timing, or am I missing it because He is waiting for me to move? (I am pretty sure I am not the only one that feels that way, but I do over analize everything.)
Matt Martin
My e-mail is juenegriggs@yahoo.com I think you are in an unusual situation, so perhaps to find you a wife:) we will maybe have to brainstorm a little...perhaps hangouts at my new house? The key is to find a way to guard her heart while getting to know her somehow... Changing directions a little, I am so glad I am a Texan!
I hope that we will have lots of fun conversations, Matt!-Noelle (yes you did spell it right)
All I can say is....Wow!!! Maybe you and Mr. Martin need to get together.
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