I want my rib!

Think about that for a moment.










Ok. Your moment's up. Or you were just lazy and scrolled down.

If you still haven't figured out what that meant think back to the creation story of man. Does it still not ring any bells?







If at this point you still haven't figured it out, then you're in luck because I need you to understand what the title of this blog means. Women was created from one of Adam's rib and recently I've become consumed with the idea of a future wife. It seems to be crop at times of non-busyness. When I become busy doing something, it kind of forcibly gets pushed to the background... but that's an aside.

I was listening to a sermon given by David Jeremiah on his radio show "Turning Point." You can listen to it yourself here and here. There were a lot of different themes that came up, but what stood out to me was the logic flow of the sermon. Dr. David Jeremiah preached along these lines:
We must not be convinced of the falsehood of the following statement: it is good to be single. (1 Corinthians 7:8) Why? Because you can then devote yourself to the ministry and service of the LORD, blessing those around you and being a part of what Christ is doing in the lives of others (1 Corinthians 7:32, 34).

As an addition (and I'm not sure if Dr. Jeremiah talked about this, I was cleaning my room at the same time as listening to the sermon) chapter 7 does not say that it is sinful to get married. As a matter of fact, he simply weighs the two against each other and says that he holds that is good to remain unmarried, but it is no sin to get married.

However, what Dr. Jeremiah does warn against is not to let the search for a future spouse be the all-consuming desire of your heart, for that displays a lack of faith and trust in the LORD. (note: the above was a rephrasing and interpretation of his words). He said that God has put you in the particular situation that you are in at the moment (specifically one's singleness) to use us in that state, whether it be to teach us a particular lesson, or to use us in a very specific way. By demanding that we be given a spouse we display a lack of faith that God's judgment is best. The other side of it, which he also briefly mentions, is that how can we unite in one flesh with a person when we are not ready to submit to the will of the LORD? For he also warns that much worse than the loneliness of being single is the misery of marital discord.

However, the one question that cropped up in my mind and that was not addressed by Dr. Jeremiah was the idea of men initiating the relationship with women. I have heard this idea referenced in many articles and blog posts on this subject everywhere I turn... but one thing that I realize is that all these articles have implicitly assumed that this principle is biblical and have not actually cited any passages of Scripture to defend the Scripturality of this concept (is that a word... Scripturality).

So then, how do I balance the idea that God can use me in my singleness in his service, but at the same time balancing the deep desire to develop a relationship with a women with whom I can grow spiritually with, share with, love, care for, and have children with? Where do you draw the line between becoming obsessed with this desire and trusting the LORD that your being single right now is where he wants you to be? How do I then discern when it's time to move on to a different stage in life? I definately do not think that I am built for a life of celibacy... I'm WAY too much of a romantic for that to NOT drive me insane.... oh how little faith I have.

If you never commented before, your comments would be well appreciated now, especially re: biblical references to the man leading out in the relationship.

(and btw, the idea of "I want my rib!" was actually garnered from the sermon itself where a woman wrote a rather humourous poem about how she wished some man would come and claim his rib (aka her).)