Worth The Risk

When you are single, it feels like that is how it will always be. Not that being single is a bad thing. Jesus and the disciples (Mathew 19) and Paul (I Corinthians 7) all think it's a good way to go. Part of me completely agrees. There are a lot of advantages to being single. For one, it is low-pressure. Being in a relationship is tough, and you have to spend a lot of time trying to get things right. Being single is cheaper. It also gives you more freedom to go wherever and do cool things that may not be possible if you have a family to think about.

Unfortunately, like the majority of us guys, I spend around 92.7% (or whatever the number is) of my conscious thought on the opposite sex. Not that this is that terrible of a thing, but the fraction of my life that this consumes is way higher than it should be.

I want to get married someday. It's a want, not a need, so I think I'll be okay if that never happens. But I hope it does happen. To be chosen, to be in that kind of exclusive relationship, to be loved, to serve God together, to get to have sex without feeling bad about it...so many things that would make it worth it.

At the same time, it's scary as hell. To have to open up and completely vulnerable with someone is a bit terrifying. It's a crazy risk to take. It's also a beautiful risk very well worth taking.

"And what did he do to deserve

This whore of a wife who parades her disgrace to his face now
When he loved her and gave up his life in more ways than she knows how"

And I can't help but wonder what God was thinking when he took a risk on us. He had to have known how much we would cheat on Him....with idols and money and selfishness and hate and greed and the list goes on. If I do get married someday, being cheated on will probably always be a fear of mine no matter how awesome my wife is. I can't imagine what that would feel like. It makes me think that it would be better to just stay single.

"Love is a beautiful thing

She can make your heart sing

When you're walking on broken glass
She will open your eyes

Make your heart feel alive
Point you toward the sunrise
Help you leave all this broken mess behind."
-from "Broken Mess" by The Classic Crime (both quotes)
 
But that's not how God felt. God knew it would be worth it, even through the pain He would feel from all of us cheating on Him. God loves us that much...that even when we are not faithful, He still is.

That fear of rejection we all have? God's been through it and knows how it feels.