Soma

Lately Lara and I have been doing a lot of pre-marital counseling (an exciting thing both for us and for Shoreline).  In addition to multiplying the nnumber of couples we are meeting with, I have also been revamping how we do pre-marital counseling and have been preparing much more thoroughly for it.  All that to say, I have spent a good number of hours over the past couple of months thinking about, writing about, and talking about preparing for marriage.

In the midst of preparing today a thought occured to me: “Why is marriage the only thing we prepare like this for?”  Don’t get me wrong, marriage is a bog deal (basically the biggest deal) and it should be prepared for with much more depth and intentionality than simply deciding on who is going to sit where and which color of flowers you like best.  However, I’m starting to think that we ought to be tackling a whole lot of other seasons in life with the same kind of preparation and commitment that I see in these engaged couples.

To make my point, let me explain to you (in a condensed version) what pre-marital counseling entails:

1. A couple tells me their story and how they came to want to get married.
2. Having studied the Bible on this topic, I share with them what God has to say and we discuss it in depth.
3. Since their new season in life entails a whole host of changes we talk about what Scripture says about things such as communication, family, finances, intimacy, etc.
4. As we discuss what Scripture has to say, we intentionally pursue areas of repentance and growth and pray specifically for these areas.

Now, is it just me, or does that not sound like a good plan of attack no matter what season in life you are in or are approaching?  I mean, if you’re about to graduate college, don’t try to figure it all out alone!  Grab someone (maybe in your Community Group) who has already gradutated college, has demonstrated spiritual maturity, and knows Scripture and ask them to talk to you about the transition.  Ask them to spend some time thinking about the things you need to know and allow them to get to know you so they can speak the gospel into areas in your life where it hasn’t seemed to penetrate.

Intentional preparation shouldn’t be reserved for engaged couples, everyone should be doing it…we all need the help and need each other, sometimes we just need to carve out the time, sit down, and ask someone to speak the Word into our lives, or we need to be willing to speak it into someone else’s.  Either way, if we did a little more of that and a little less “flying solo” I guarantee you the church, and your relationship with your Savior, would be much stronger as a result.

Just a thought.