"Honey, have you seen my Depends?"

Growing old....Mmmm....Tim took this picture a while back and I kept coming back to it....I really like it and I'm not sure exactly why. The lady in the picture is probably not the wife of the man, but maybe she is....It got me thinking, though.

Why is it that our culture preaches to us that growing old with one person isn't desirable, beautiful, or exciting?

Isn't that what they say when they make claims that we "need" or "deserve" happiness and therefore should do whatever we need to do to achieve it? Isn't that what they mean when they advertise cheap young seductive sex in commercials and television shows? "If she doesn't make you happy...there are plenty of other fish in the sea", they say. And where do those people who ascribe to this lifestyle end up? Alone and empty...dying in old folks homes without anyone coming to see them. Maybe it's because that no matter how hard we try to find happiness, we still have to live with ourselves and seeing ourselves as we really are makes us unhappy. Our sinful nature is pretty filthy and sitting in our own filth is awful...ask any old person now waiting for their underpants to get changed!

It isn't the responsibility of our spouse, our ex-wife/husband, or our "new" girl/boyfriend to make us happy...our troubles still follow us wherever we go....But the One who can make us happy is the One who can show us His way to holiness and the way He sees us.

I think part of the reason Tim and I are enjoying married life so much is because we have fought (and I mean FOUGHT) to find out what God thinks of us....both individually and as a unit. We have FOUGHT to be happy in harsh circumstances like the many times I've ticked him off, annoyed the b'geebers out of him, or hurt him deeply.... and vice versa. The other reason is that we have developed a STRONG fear of God. No really. Not a King Kong-running-for-your-life fear, but a fear that says, "God cares more about my obedience and my holiness than my happiness". He is Holy, I am not....that's a BIG enough reason to fear Him....to obey Him....to stick like glue to my spouse...the one God picked for me to sharpen me "as iron sharpens iron".

There are times when the days are rough, the tension is thick and my sin is great....when those times come, it takes an act of God and a fight for obedience to stay here. If you are thinking on leaving your spouse or removing yourself from a certain relationship, just remember that God cares more about your holiness than your happiness....because He gives GREAT JOY when repentance and obedience become your yoke. Matthew 11:28-30 says, "Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and my burden is light."

And like me, it could be that the problem isn't the other person....it's you and your sin. If you leave, you might just walk out of His wave of grace....go to Him who takes your sins, your burdens and replaces it with obedience and holiness.... Read Romans 1-2....there is no excuse not to do the right thing....powerful, ya know? I can't wait to grow old with Tim....and I pray he won't have to help me with my "Depends"! Be blessed.