Val and i have started reading tim and kathy keller’s book ‘the meaning of marriage’ and have found it to be the source of some great discussion and teaching into marriage – we don’t agree with everything said but it has definitely given us a lot to work with and through and is a highly recommendable read.
and then i stumbled on to this article by kathy keller titled – Don’t Take It from Me: Reasons You Should Not Marry an Unbeliever which you can read here or here but not so much here cos that is something totally different.
an excerpt to get you started which sums up the ‘question’ well: “Does this sound like the kind of marriage you want? One that strangles your growth in Christ or strangles your growth as a couple, or does both? Think back to that off-cited passage in 2 Corinthians 6:14 about being “unequally yoked.” Most of us no longer live in an agrarian culture, but try to visualize what would happen if a farmer yoked together, say, an ox and a donkey. The heavy wooden yoke, designed to harness the strength of the team, would be askew, as the animals are of different heights, weights, walk at different speeds and with different gaits. The yoke, instead of harnessing the power of the team to complete the task, would rub and chafe BOTH animals, since the load would be distributed unequally. An unequal marriage is not just unwise for the Christian, it is also unfair to the non-Christian, and will end up being a trial for them both.”
It is a trial regardless…this is how the Lord sharpens us, for as we grow closer, we learn of other ways we perceive each other to be not as yoked as we are. Then we find out it was US that was not as yoked as THEY were, to begin with. 😀 This is how He teaches us to be closer to Him, to rely completely on Him, I believe. Great post!