It was my delight and honour to get to attend their wedding.
I’m not always one for those public occasions, but when a good friend invites you, then it’s the least I can do to show up and celebrate the blessings of the Lord.
It’s a real treat as well to get to listen to a good little speech given at these occasions. It’s a real gift to be able to express a memorable nugget of wisdom and I got to hear a particularly gifted man of God share such a nugget.
He spoke about the real challenge of marriage is when the couple view it as ‘settling down’. The challenge is that for both parties if they consider the quest over when they get married then there’s little stimulus for the relationship. That’s what often happens that leads to the sense of familiarity breeding contempt. To prevent that, the word of wisdom guided the couple and other listeners to never ‘settle’ for the husband/wife we receive. As a human being they are always growing and open to change. If we consider that person in that way, there’s always something to learn, appreciate and pursue when getting to know them better. Getting married does not have to be seen as the end of the pursuit, but the start of a greater in-depth pursuit that will never give room for complacency or ‘settling’.
That word – complacency. So many have suffered because of it. Things appear to be going so well and it looks like it’s success after success. So there’s an easing of effort, there’s the thought that we can rest up on what has already been achieved as though that is sufficient. Before long opportunities begin to be missed, standards are no longer reached, compromise and corruption seeps in and what could have been so beautiful is ruined.
Thank God for His grace, wisdom and guidance to help us avoid complacency. One of the big things that helps is the ongoing reminder that there’s nothing to be complacent about. We have not finished the race. We have not attained the goal we strive for. As long as there’s breath in our body and as long as we keep our eyes on Jesus, there’s always more to know, more to be gained, more to desire. There’s always more, so there’s no room for complacency.
The hunger and the thirsting to grow in knowing what it is to do and be right by Him is never something that has an end point. There’s so much more. That approach in our relationship with Him will propel us in all the other relationships in life – especially seeing as though He takes pleasure in expressing Himself through others. So the more we know Him is the more we should be interested in others and see that there’s never a moment to take it for granted.
I can recount a number of times where complacency for me has lead to some unpleasant outcomes. So I was grateful for the nugget of wisdom I heard and the reminder that in this life, there’s always more to know if we’re ready to keep seeking.
(Photo by Andrew Ly on Unsplash)
For His Name’s Sake
Shalom
C. L. J. Dryden
Life With CD 