peace . love . joy

Have you ever watched a full programme on Starhub's channel 95: The Biography Channel?

I don't usually. But although I don't religiously stock up knowledge on the life and times of famous people around the world via The Biography Channel, the one time I did, I was mighty encouraged. And whose life story was it, you ask?

The country legend, Dolly Parton.

Now, as many of us know, falling in love isn't too difficult; it's the staying in love that is the hard part. And especially when you're somebody famous, when you've hordes of people clamouring to capture photographs of you, when there are dozens of people attempting to chronicle your life, your life is broadcasted for the world to scrutinize, and that world loves the "juicy bits": the love story. How many celebrities boast a list of ex-lovers, of ex-spouses?

One might subconsciously be moulded to think divorce and breaking off of engagements is normal.

Maybe it is.

But it certainly is not a feature in the life God calls us to live.

See, what made my respect for Dolly Parton increase (and it already was very high) was the fact that she married Carl Dean... And she stayed married to him. They met in the summer of 1964, and were married in May, 1966. And they've been living together as man and wife for 43 years, and are still married! Dolly said, in an interview, that the biggest secret to getting married and staying married were three simple words:

Make it work.

Three simple monosyllabic words that contain more than what any encyclopedia can hold.

It means commitment.
It means perseverence.
It means a heck of a load of effort and resolution.

What God has revealed to me was that this attitude is not only applicable to the institution of marriage between man and wife, but that it is attached to a Christian's relationship to Him. One could even say that it was the intention of God to have human marriage be modelled after, to serve as a practice for, the church's marriage to Him.

When we profess to nurture a relationship with God, to utter our wedding vows to Him, we enter into a sacred relationship with Him. But think not of our wedding day as a "finally!", instead, think of it as an "... and...", an addition, one more "Life Tile" in our "Game of Life"; not the end of the beginning, but the beginning of the end, a glorious end.

Making it work means essentially two very broad things:

To stay together during the bad times...
In Revelation 2: 9-10, the Son of Man had this to say to the church in Smyrna:
"I know your tribulation and your poverty (but you are rich) and the slander of those who say that they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life."

And to stay together during the good times.
When the going is good, forget not the author and perfector of your faith, the creator of all that is good. Give unto Him praise of which He is worthy. "Oh give thanks to the LORD; call upon his name; make known his deeds among the peoples! Sing to him; sing praises to him; tell of all his wondrous works! Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice! Seek the LORD and his strength; seek his presence continually! Remember the wondrous works that he has done, his miracles and the judements he uttered, O offspring of Israel his servant, sons of Jacob, his chosen ones!" (1 Chronicles 16: 8-13)

We've all be taught that we ought to persevere in our faith, to make it work. There exist scores of verses and passages in the Bible, various people's life stories, biographies from which we gain insight and knowledge, lives that tell of perseverence and commitment (and also lives that fail to commit), words of warning and encouragement in the faith. A great deal many.
But when the context shifts, when the kaleidoscope turns and we look upon it as though we were lounging on a bed covered with crisp white linen, gazing into the eyes of our Beloved and Lover, it no longer becomes an "ought to". Rather,
we want to.

We want to keep on keeping on.
We want to make it work.

Even when the going gets tough,
even when the going is good.

Because we are in love
with the greatest Lover the world has ever and will ever know.