Society has this funny way of gauging whether a woman is fit to be married. For starters, she ought to know how to cook. Managing housework is a plus. Must be good with working on a budget. Loves kids (or dogs, whichever is your inclination).
Check, check, check.
On many societal scales, I am a highly marketable wife-to-be. God has been gracious and has dealt a number of housewife skill cards to me – opportunities to manage my own place, to feed myself, to plan meals for the family, and now, to care for others. You can say I’m a bit ahead of the curve in terms of housewifery for single women.
Whilst that scores brownie points for many potential mother-in-laws, it’s no guarantee for getting married. (Obviously, since I am still very much single and very much available. But we’re not talking about that.) It’s a sad state of affairs when people fail to see that getting ready for marriage goes beyond managing a household. Sure, it’s important to know how to wash dishes and stock the larder with food that has nutritional value beyond fat and sugar. But we’re missing out on the essentials.
What makes a lady truly attractive and marriage-ready is the shape of her heart.
Have you ever come across a woman who so overflows with love and joy that she seems effortlessly radiant? People often remark that a girl blooms or blossoms when she is in love. And yet we forget that we have been given the most perfect love there is – a love that has gone to the grave and back again, to redeem and to restore unworthy beings such as ourselves.
So ladies – clothe yourself in God’s love. It’s a timeless fashion statement, and people can’t help but notice. It shows in the way you talk. It flows into what you do. It reflects in how you treat others.
And the best part? It changes you from the inside out.
When you begin to truly love the Lord, your priority shifts away from yourself. Your desire is to please your Maker, and you begin to shape your attitudes accordingly. You begin to understand what it means to love others, and to live for them. You let go of your own interests, for the sake of theirs. All by the grace of God.
1 Corinthians 13:4-7
Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things
Marriage – as with all relationships – depends on our willingness to give up our own rights, for the rights of others. It is dependent on our ability to love the unlovable.
Despite what the world says, relationship readiness is not a matter of how we work on ourselves. Rather, it’s a matter of how we allow God to work in us.
Are you ready?
0 thoughts to “On Becoming Marriageable.”
Agreeing on so many points here. Really gave me something to think about. This is my nice insightful read for the morning. 🙂
aw, thanks cher! hope all is well with you 🙂