You and Me Forever — Reading Journal Log 3

What kind of chapter title is that? “Marriage Isn’t that Great?” I guess that’s the type of thing you’d expect from a radical Christian author. But there’s a point to the title. Before I get to that:

I once sat silently at my desk as a laughter flooded the classroom. It was a safe environment for anyone who felt an urge to mock God. In this particular case, one student thought God was a joke, and that if she were to come face to face with Him, she would question Him about all the injustice and suffering that plagues this world. Our English teacher found it appropriate to assign three or four anti-Christian reading assignments that quarter. She even remarked on how she loved one author’s depiction of Jesus—a hippy that sat at the doorstep who would check in once in a while.

I live in a culture convinced of a tiny God — and I don’t just mean the skeptics and mockers. If we really saw God as the almighty Author of the universe, would we so casually pirate movies? Would we so frequently fill our leisure time with porn? Would we so easily engage in gossip?

Why in the world is the divorce rate so high amongst evangelicals?

God spoke, and the world came into existence. God spoke, and the world was demolished by a flood. One day, God will speak the only verdict that matters as He judges every person.

– You and Me Forever, Ch 1

In comparison to the cosmic grandeur of God’s word, everything fades.

Perhaps the title isn’t so ludicrous after all. Yes, marriage is great. I love marriage because it paints a beautiful picture of how God loves us. Marriage highlights the ingenious nature of God, and He means for us to enjoy it in its fullness. Our spouse is to be the most important relationship we have.

But it is not to be our ultimate fulfillment, and it is temporary (Matt 22:30). So in light of God and eternity, marriage isn’t that great. And that’s okay.

First, this doesn’t mean that Lisa and I won’t be deeply in love with each other in heaven. My guess is that I will be even closer to Lisa when we exist in glorified bodies absent of sin. Things must be different in order to be better. Second, I will have a union with God which is guaranteed to be better than any earthly closeness I might be experiencing now. I trust the God who created marriage when He promises a better future.