Holy!

So, lately, I've been reminded of a quote I heard in premarital counseling, "The purpose of marriage is not to make you happy, it is to make you holy." (but for the sake of argument, let's change it to "The purpose of _________ is not to make you happy it is to make you holy.") Which, when you first hear that as a prospective wife, or as a person, it is almost infuriating. Why do something or continue something if you aren't happy? It's really been on my mind how human nature/society has a belief that if it doesn't make you happy/you hate it, you shouldn't do it. So not true. "Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons" Heb 12:7. Sometimes we endure things we don't enjoy, or even hate, to grow our character. To test our faith. "God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness." Heb 12:10b Can you believe that? We get to share in HIS holiness. Unbelievable. The trial will pass, there is a light at the end of the tunnel, and we will be better for preservering. And even if our 'trial' at a particular time is not a 'discipline', we are certainly called to nothing less than what Christ did for us! "but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness." Phil 2:7 THEN, "...he humbled himself and became obedient to death -- even death on a cross!" NOTHING I could ever go through would EVER compare.  He is good!

And I'm not saying you can't be happy in marriage or in life. You can be happy. Very happy.

That's how much he loves us.