Why do I Blog about Marriage?
Why do I blog about marriage?
Obedience.
Ugh.
It is the only truthful answer I can give to that question.
I feel nudged, prompted and called by God to write and share wisdom from His Word concerning marriage. I wish, however, that God had called me just to talk about this mystery that is marriage – I love to travel and would love a cross-country tour speaking at ladies events. I adore a microphone and I love an audience 😊! But God knows this too. God knows me … His independent child. God knows that I would be comfortable speaking in my own strength, if only for some of the time, and not depend on Him. So, while writing is an uncomfortable task and out of my skill zone, I am forced to depend on Him … all the time …and for every word. I have no writing expertise and have no keyboarding skills at all! I did not take typing in school, so I literally “peck about” on the keys using only 6 fingers; I am unsure of what the job of the pinkie and ring finger are in typing. They just “hang on” for a wild ride as I blog!
I am sure my High School writing teachers would laugh if they were to learn that I write and that people voluntarily read my words - sans a red pen of correction! They would not be surprised that I still bend grammatical conventions – I do hate the word “rules” and often create very long run-on sentences 😊. Point made. Case closed. No Pulitzer Prize in my future!
Each week I sit at my computer and write about the marriage issues that God presses on my heart. Some are born out of my own hurts, but many more come from the hurts of other sisters that God puts in my path. I am a simple faith person, so simple stories are a part of my writing style. I love humor, so I try to keep my readers giggling too. I write like I speak- with passion! I have written over 150 posts, but I have not yet even scratched the surface on all the issues pressing in on marriages today in America. If I were to think of this blog as a baseball game, I would just now be rounding first base. I have a long way to go before I can score or can go eat some sunflower seeds or a Popsicle in the dugout! So, I am faithfully digging my way around the bases.
Most every day I sit down and write for only a little while about things I have jotted down in the notes section of my smart phone. I call this my, “blog fodder.” Whenever my family has some fun … or has some conflict … someone looks over at me and asks that same ‘ol question, “Will this be in your blog one day?” I always answer truthfully, “Yes.” Why? Because God calls out things in my life and weaves them into His story. For this reason my readers know way too much about me. Sorry, everyone.
I have written a number of posts that that I do not yet feel compelled by God to publish. So, they just hang out in my cue and taunt me. Whenever I re-read these un-published posts I am struck with the thought that they are meant just for me and my own marriage with Jody. You see, God loves us too, and His desire is to grow us up through this process too! We have not yet arrived and are not perfect. Our marriage continues to be the best AND most challenging relationship I have. Poor Jody, I am a lot and; I know he feels the same!
DISCLAIMER: If I have ever given you the impression that Jody and I have arrived, know that this isn’t true! I just have a confident delivery pattern. I have always been this way. Sorry. I am one of those few people that if lost in a new city will still confidently give directions to anyone who asks!
God has the plan.
I must trust that God has the plan! I cannot measure my success by post views, comments or shares. I must view my success on my obedience to God and not on my SEO status or ranking. So easy to type, but so very hard to live out! I hate that I know what some of those things actually are – I wish that I had never opened that Pandora’s Box. When I started my blog two years ago, a fellow blogger told me, “Don’t look at your vanity stats …. too often.” I thought that this was a curious warning, and I was puzzled by the term “vanity stats,” but I soon came to realize what she meant. SquareSpace will tell you where and when people read your posts. It is a trap and it is almost impossible not to look at all because I, like many of my blogging colleagues, want to do all things excellently for God’s glory. I want to have objective measures to determine how I am doing. And yes, I like control! So, the blog has been an excellent daily lesson for me in surrendering control to my patient and almighty Father who has the plan. Questions like, “How can 300 people read one of my posts within minutes of its publishing, but only 40 people read the next one in the same period of time?” could keep this overachieving controller up at night. But, God continues to patiently remind me that this is not about me. He has shown me and has used many of the people in my life to tell me, “Let it go!” After all, a whole movie was produced just for me, or at least that is what I rationalize in my head as my granddaughters sing that song over and over and over again 😊! ”Let it go, Sue!”
God will make sure the right person reads the right post.
I am only to write obediently. He will handle the rest. Period.
That sounds just like God doesn’t it. Don’t worry about the numbers, just obediently follow me. (Matthew 4:19) Go the fields are ripe, I will bring in the harvest. (2 Corinthians 9:10) He says trust me. (Philippians 4:19) Follow me. (Matthew 16:24) Love me and your neighbor. (Mark 12:30-31) He says you can never deserve my favor and yet I freely gave it to you! (Ephesians 2:8-9) You are a beloved child of Mine (1 Corinthians 15:58), adopted through the precious blood of my son, Jesus. (1 John 1:7) God says- you are more sinful than you ever imagined and more loved by Me than you ever dreamed. He says in your weakness, I am strong. (2 Corinthians 12:9-10) He uses the unlikely, and in my case, the poor writer, to bring His wisdom to His beloved daughters, so that He and He alone gets the glory.
God has the plan for my blog, my marriage and my life. God has the plan for your life too! We just have to start typing, talking, walking, living, and loving like Christ!
God desires sanctification for all believers.
I think God continues to encourage me to write about marriage because of marriage’s power in the life of a Believer. Marriage is designed to be a safe, loving platform for God to use to cull out sin in our hearts, to fan the flame of our faith and to stir up passion for Gospel partnership. God did not design marriage just for our pleasure, although it is pleasurable. God designed marriage to grow us up spiritually. God is concerned about our sanctification. God wants you to be meat-eating believers that are prepared and ready for any warfare that comes your way; even if the battlefield is your own marriage.
God also loves marriage. He dwells in community with Jesus and the Holy Spirit and I think that He wants us to share in that blessing of the trinity by joining us with another and to Him. A tight strand of three is not easily broken! God also realizes that unity in a body of Believers must begin with a few couples. I heard this statement the other day, “Revival begins in the home.” I immediately said, AMEN! Revival does begin with couples who passionately follow Christ and lead their family to Him. Beyond the couples, the family impacts the neighborhood and the church is strengthened as it is filled with people who seek after Jesus. If couples will only obediently seek Jesus, Revival will not only be started, it will be demanded! And, Believers will not tolerate lukewarm Christianity. I want to live in that community! 🙌🏽🙌🏽
The world hates marriage and touts the benefits of divorce. This noise is powerful and many Believers have fallen prey to this attack on marriage, a God-instituted union. So, I will continue to write about the truths of the Gospel and its parallels to marriage until I am no longer compelled by the Holy Spirit to do so or until divorce among Believers becomes as obscure and needs as much explaining as an 8-track tape to a teenager 😂.
Thank you for reading. Please share if you feel led. Your friends may be having marriage issues that you are unaware of, so don’t assume that they don’t need to read the WordWashedWife blog, because, hey, you just did 😊!
Stay washed in the Word!
“Then the man said, "This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man." Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed.”
Genesis 2:23-25 ESV
“Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the roar of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, crying out, "Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready; it was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure"— for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints. And the angel said to me, "Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb." And he said to me, "These are the true words of God."”
Revelations 19:6-9
