1 Timothy 6:10 “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils.”
This verse seems to get misconstrued quite often as I’ve heard people say “Money is the root of all evil.” In reality, it’s saying the love, want, and desire for money is the sin that potentially can lead to further evils such as lying, stealing, cheating, gambling, etc. Inevitably, there are some people in this world who have money or high value possessions that continue to have an insatiable thirst for more.
I won’t lie – I like nice things. And some days when work has been exceptionally stressful or when there’s an aggravation that comes up in my life, I find myself shopping to relieve those feelings. Why? Because shopping makes me feel good about myself. Trust me, I’ve been trying to work on this mentality for quite some time. It’s not so easy to dissociate purchases with a certain level of my happiness. Chris also reacts the same way; when he’s stressed out, he online shops. It’s almost like an escape for the mind because instead of focusing on what has been causing you problems, you’re focusing on finding something fun or pretty or cool. Don’t get me wrong. It’s not like we’re sitting here shopping all day long and/or buying thousands of dollars worth of merchandise. We make these decisions with each other and within our financial budget/goals that we’ve set for ourselves.
So when do I think it’s a problem? When you’re spending beyond your means. When you’re relying on friends, family, significant others monetarily, but continue to make purchases without a thought or care for how they feel. When your voracious need to buy takes over your life and now becomes one of the biggest reasons why you feel good about yourself.
The end result is this: money is neutral. It’s how you feel about it that changes whether it turns evil. Only you can be accountable for yourself and how you spend money, but don’t forget that when you’re in a relationship, two become one, as they say. Your significant other’s job isn’t to make sure that you’re not being swayed. It takes the efforts of both of you to achieve happiness within each other, with your relationships with friends, family, and whatever higher being you believe in, rather than possessions. My advice would be to take an evening to sit down together and come up with a budget with each other’s expectations. I hate that word, ‘expectations’, but without them, we wouldn’t be able to discern what our limits are. And revisit the budget should you need to because things change, like adding on a third dog, right Chris? Or having a baby, maybe two. Life happens, but that’s the best part because you get to enjoy it with someone.
Mark 10:6-9
“But at the beginning of creation God ‘made them male and female.’ For this reason, a male will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh. So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore, what God has joined together, let no one separate.”
First, may I just say how slightly awkward it is to talk about sex after only 4 hourly sessions with your pastor? But he informed us that there’s a lot of references in the Bible about sex. Who knew? There are so many depictions in movies, TV shows, ads, that glorify sex, even one night stands. In my opinion, having blind physical relations is easy – as some people joke, ‘Beer goggles, am I right?’ But when there are emotions involved, there is a whole other level of vulnerability. You are trusting this individual with not just your body, but your soul, the core of who you are. And sex is just one way of joining your flesh to the other; each time, you become more involved and lose a little bit of yourself into them. Medically, that’s also technically true, but we won’t get into that.
So my advice is, if and when you decide to have sex, I hope that you choose to do so with someone you love and who reciprocates your feelings; that you both are committed to watch your bond and love grow. We’re emotional beings and to be able to feel that closeness, it’s something special and I would hate for you to deprive yourself of that.
Ephesians 5:22-33
“Wives, submit to your own husbands as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands. Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, …”
I hated this Bible verse every time I heard it at a wedding; all this talk about wives submitting to their husbands. I don’t recall hearing the second part of the verse, probably because I was too busy seeing red with steam coming out of my ears after hearing the first part. However, I learned from premarital counseling that the comparison here is that husbands are the head of the body and the wives are the body itself, just like Christ is the head and the church is the body.
My interpretation of this verse has now changed from wives acquiescing to husbands, to one can not function without the other. To submit to your husband does not mean you give in or that you accept blindly what he says or does. As the body, you are the support system. You are the core strength to allow him to sit upon your shoulders. He is to love and care for you, because without you, he would be lost. Okay that might be a stretch … or is it …. Ladies? It isn’t about one submitting solely to the other. It’s about both people capitulating and indulging in each other because now you are of one flesh, no longer two. A healthy relationship can not last with only one person kowtowing. It takes two with open dialogue to ensure the needs of each other are met.
Hope y’all enjoyed reading this post as much as I did writing it.
Cheers!
Julie
Living Life with Julie & Chris 