1 Corinthians 7:17 Nevertheless, each person should live as a believer in whatever situation the Lord has assigned to them, just as God has called them. This is the rule I lay down in all the churches.

This is one area in which I feel Paul had a distorted, or at least limited, perspective on things. As a lifelong bachelor, and probably celibate, there were some things that he couldn’t really understand. At times, such as in Ephesians 5, he certainly transmitted the Word of the Lord in relation to marriage, but here I think we have something of a mixed bag. In verse 7 he confesses his bias: “I wish that all of you were as I am. But each of you has your own gift from God; one has this gift, another has that.” At least he recognizes that everyone is different. If everyone had the gift of celibacy, the human race would die out in a generation! Later in the chapter he talks about being distracted by your spouse, (verses 32-34) but he never experienced being drawn closer to the Lord by your spouse, or hearing the Lord’s guidance through your spouse. I think Paul was no exception to the rule expressed by C. S. Lewis, that when we get to heaven we will all discover that we were wrong somewhere!

I would say that I am somewhat of a polar opposite to Paul on this issue. I got married at 20, in part because I had seen my parents’ relationship and I had an inkling of how rich marriage could be. It is also true that I had an abundant supply of hormones, and the Lord knew He had better get me married quickly or I’d be in deep trouble! That said, the past 56 years have convinced me that marriage is God’s 2^nd greatest blessing to mankind, the first being eternal salvation through Jesus Christ. Today actually marks the 56^th anniversary of our engagement, 11 days after our first date. This year, even the days of the week are the same as in 1969! Every time I perform a wedding I tell the people that I delight to do so, because experience has taught me the good of marriage – and Paul never experienced that. Several people have commented that I seem to have a lot in common with Paul, but I’m very thankful that this isn’t one of those things! I am constantly challenged to be more like Christ as I interact with my wife, and she blesses me in more ways than I could enumerate. Our years together have given me a strong foundation for the marriage counseling I do, and I have a very good track record in that as well, with only three couples that I know of having gotten divorced even after having had my counseling. Like Paul, I do recognize that everyone is gifted differently, but I delight to share the grace that God has poured out on me.

Father, thank You indeed for the wife of my youth, and for how You have grown us together. May our relationship continue to be an example and inspiration to many, for their blessing and Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!