I should be cleaning right now, but I needed a break.

There are a few things that have been on my mind that I just do not understand:
1) The practice of "courting" among Christian singles,
2) the practice of asking a woman's father for the woman's hand in marriage, and
3) the idea that if your spouse asks you for sex, that you must oblige, even if you don't feel like it, because that's the "loving" thing to do.

The first two I don't get because they're anachronistic.  We don't live at court anymore.  Even Prince William, who does live at court, and his girlfriend Kate Middleton aren't following the old ways.  There are very few propertied families in this day and age, and we don't live in strictly defined classes.  On top of that, the modern Western woman is free to see whomever she likes.  So why be so formal about getting to know your potential future spouse, and why be so formal about receiving permission to marry?  Guys, it seems to me that unless you and your future father-in-law are going to negotiate your future wife's dowry, that you should not ask for her hand in marriage.  Please!  I understand that some of you feel sentimental about old-fashioned things like that, but come on.  I, personally, would have been offended if Terry had have asked my father for permission to marry me...as if I couldn't make the decision myself!  Asking for a blessing, however, is okay.

The third thing really perplexes me, and, to be honest, angers me.  I think that, rightly viewed, marital sex is a gift from one spouse to the other.  Gifts should be given from the heart, not because the giver feels obligated to give.  If you think that your marriage will benefit because you never say "no," then think again.  Resentment is a sure-fire passion-killer.

There are two Jehovah's Witnesses, a man and a woman, who frequent my residence to discuss the Bible with me and my husband.  They are friendly people, whom I have come to care about, and our discussions are always polite, even though the theological differences between the Jehovah's Witnesses and the Roman Catholic Church are vast.  In the months that we have known each other, they have given us quite a lot of literature, including the booklet entitled "What Does the Bible Really Teach?"  In the appendix, one of the many topics it discusses is why "True Christians Do Not Use the Cross in Worship."  The text explains that Jesus did not really die on a cross, but a stake (which I think is possible, but not necessarily so), and thus the cross is a historically inaccurate symbol.  It goes on to state that, in the Bible, it says that the person who is crucified upon a cross (stake) is considered to be a "curse" (see Gal. 3:12 and Deut. 21:22-23), and that it is, therefore, inappropriate for true Christians to display the cross in their homes or churches.  Finally, the text states that the cross is a "pagan symbol", which, it seems to me, is the main reason why the Jehovah's Witnesses believe that the cross should not be used in "true" Christian worship.  It is upon this last reason that I would like to comment.

I, for one, think that the fact that the cross (or stake, or tree) was used by pagans before being claimed as a symbol by the Christian Church world-over is very profound.  The Romans (pagan, of course) crucified Jesus Christ on Golgotha, the skull hill.  His crucifixion was unjust and, like all other crucifixions, utterly brutal.  His suffering was immense.  But, He submitted to it of His own will, as a means to atone for the sins of all mankind, so that we could be blameless before the Lord.  Therefore, I think that it is wonderfully powerful that what was once a symbol of brutal "justice" can now be claimed in the name of Jesus Christ as a symbol of hope, submission to the will of God, redemption, peace, and LIFE.  Who but God Himself, in the Person of Christ, could turn something so ugly into something so loveable?  The cross is a symbol of everything we hope for.  Christ used the cross for His own purpose, and transformed it.  And we who trust in Him are also being transformed from God-haters to God-lovers, taking up our own crosses, and becoming, each in his own way, more like Christ Himself.  My God, how beautiful!  Thank you for such a gift.  I am so appreciative that I can meditate upon the cross of Christ, as an act of sincere worship. 

AMEN!