To be single or to be married...

Don't worry! I'm not regretting my decision to get married... but I've been reading this Christian book lately and I'm very encouraged by the author.

Quoted from "Disciplines of a godly woman" by Barbara Hughes
The relationships in the family of God are eternal, unlike those of our earthly family. Mary Lou Bayly, a widow in our church, reminds us that earthly marriage is temporal (Matt 22:30). After years of serving the Lord as a wife, Mary Lou was comforted by a more enduring reality when her loving husband, Joe, died. She called her "assignment" as a wife and mother of 7 children "richly rewarding." "But I'm no longer a wife," she said. "There's wonderful security in remembering that my relationship to Jesus Christ is my real identity, and no one can take that away from me." Mary Lou has voiced an important spiritual truth. Our church family relationships will never end. Our relationship as sisters and brothers sharing the same Father will exist for eternity.

How sobering! In light of preparing for my wedding, I'm reminded that earthly marriages are temporal. It's kinda sad but yet comforting at the same time. Once, I heard Christopher Ash talk about marriage and how all of us start out as singles, most end up married, and most end up single again. Because in life, one spouse always die earlier than the other. Therefore, we really cannot pin our hopes and identity on our other half, or our marital status (be it single or married). We have to realize that our identity first and foremost comes from God. Does God have a special calling for us to be single or married? Babara Hughes refers to it as an "assignment". God has assigned us to be either single or married at different points of our lives, but whatever it is, the most important is to be living for the Lord in whatever state we're in! This is real encouraging to me… I hope it encourages you too, no matter what state you're in! =)