Hey Everyone,
I hope that you all are having a blessed summer and are staying as busy as we are!
Thanks so much for continuing to visit our blog. I wanted to apologize for complete absence of posts for the last several weeks. All of us here at AoC are really swamped with summer, but hopeful to get back to regular posting soon, and looking forward to it!
Thanks for your understanding.
Zechariah
| Jonathan
NOTE: Along with the theme of the post, I humbly apologize for the lack of the posts I have been sending out the past week or so. This week doesn't look much better with all sorts of things going on, but I will do my best to get back into the swing of things as life slowly becomes less crazy.
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We are fools if we believe the Bible is only a book of proverbs and wisdom. The Word of God is filled with a rich history; a history of men and women stepping into their God given roles and honoring their creator through their actions. The examples of the many heroes and heroines and the section of the Bible they represent is certainly as important as the section of wisdom, life lessons, and teaching.
Because the Bible is filled with such great history and even greater people, we tend to focus on some of the most popular heroes. Forgoing Jesus (who I would obviously consider in another plane of merit to these individuals), men such as Noah, Abraham, Moses, Joshua, David, Daniel, Peter, and Paul tend to top the list of many young Sunday school children. And while I cannot attempt to take away from the legacies of such men, I can ponder the heroes who have, in some ways, been left in the background.
Those not-so-famous characters of the Bible that unwaveringly seeks the will of God. Some of the individuals that come to my mind include Joseph the father of Jesus, Caleb the Hebrew spy to Canaan, Timothy the young leader of the young Christian church, and Deborah the feminine leader braver than all the weak kneed men surrounding her.
And then, there's Jonathan.
Jonathan (pronounced yo-naw-thawn in Hebrew, and meaning Jehovah-given*) was the eldest son of King Saul, and the best friend of the anointed King David.
As a warrior and a leader, he certainly had all the qualities of a forefront hero in Jewish history. He was an intelligent and courageous defender of Israel, leading 1,000 men in defeating the Philistines at Gibeah (1 Samuel 13:2-3). He, along with his armor bearer, also killed 20 enemy troops in a single ambush attack (1 Samuel 14:13-14). He also had a heart for the word of God (1 Samuel 14:22), and understood the role David played despite the fact it was opposing his own quest for the Hebrew throne.
Which leads to another important facet of Jonathan's persona: if Saul had not previously disqualified as king (1 Samuel 13), Jonathan would have been the leader of all Israel through Sauls royal bloodline. This was certainly a man that many Hebrew youngsters idolized and hope to be, as perhaps we today idolize sports stars or Hollywood actors. Jonathan was a national emblem for Israeli success.
And yet, he is generally an afterthought in Christian history unless mentioned with David. Why?
Perhaps his story follows in the line of thinking that "history rewards winners." And Jonathan, despite his excellent resume, was, in the end, a loser. He lost a kingdom, power, and recognition that few individuals are ever blessed to dream of. If there was anyone who ought to have raged after David during Saul's reign, Jonathan, by all logic, should have been first in line.
But he wasn't eager to destroy David. He befriended him as a brother. There are many reasons why, and many character qualities that advanced his respect for God's chosen King. But, in the end, I believe it's because he was humble.
Jonathan showed humility in acknowledging the chosen man of God over his own desires for the thrown, in befriending a young man with no royal lineage, and in accepting the the divine plan of God even though it plainly disregarded him as the next mighty ruler of God's chosen people.
Jonathan's humility was exemplified even more so by his specific situation. Jonathan had much to lose; he was the bloodline heir and future King of his nation. He was one of the leader of Saul's military, and a man of education and skill. Jonathan gave up everything he was brought up to become by accepting David. He humbly
realized that God's plan was greater than his own needs.
And isn't that how humility works? Isn't it only recognizing how small and insignificant we are in the greater scheme of things? Humility is essentially the full understanding of our situation in regards to others around us, and then allowing those people to take full precedence over our own personal wants and desires.
There is no question that Jonathan exemplified such actions exquisitely, and there is certainly no question that each of us can learn from his humility in a difficult situation.
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"A man's pride shall bring him low: but honor shall uphold the humble in spirit."
Proverbs 29:23
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Like most of sunday school children, I knew the story of the birth of Jesus by heart at age 3. I could probably tell you the story of Mary's life backwards if you asked me. But as I was attending a christian school in Florida, I thought she was too well- known for me to call my favorite character in the Bible. Of course, I wouldn't want to be called a "copy-cat." It was all about politics and knowledge back then in first grade :-P.
But as I have grown older, I really got a chance to look at the person Mary truly was. I have to say she is my favorite character in the Bible, and my heroine. There are three important thing Mary teaches us faithfully. But before we get into those concepts, let's set the stage.
Okay, the stage is set. So here is 14 year old Mary probably running errands for mom, or working in the household when the Angel Gabriel appears to give her some news. " Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you. Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birthe to a son and you are to give his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.( Luke 1: 28, 30-33)"
I can imagine Mary completely rattled, confused, and probably thinking, " Wrong person, the newlyweds are down the street. " She asks the angel clearly, possibly hoping there is some mistake. " How can this be since I am a virgin?( Luke 1:34)" No mistake. " The Angel answered, ' The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Song of God. Even Elizabeth your relative is going ot have a child in her old age, and she who was siad to be barren is in her sixth month. For nothing is impossible with God."
I'll say!! I am sure she felt honored! How wonderful would it be to know that God truly favors you! What an awesome encouragement!
But the Bible says that Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this was. I would be wondering too! The angel says she is going to have a baby by the Holy Spirit. But more than that, her cousin Elizabeth( who the Bible says was WELL along in years) is already in her sixth month! Wow, talk about alot to process!! And remember, she is still really young, not even out of her parents' home. So what exactly is she facing?!?!
Wow, she is basically losing everything. In our christian culture today, how would we respond to a pregnant 18 year old unmarried, christian girl coming into church? Of course, we are more forgiving now but wouldn't there be people staring and judging inwardly? Wouldn't that girl feel judged and unwelcome because of her sin? Yes. It's one of the most outrageous sins in the Bible, but God was calling Mary to outrageously obey.
What is her response?
" I am the Lord's servant. May it be to me as you have said."
Which leads us to the first concept of her outrageous obedience.
Outrageous Obedience 1: She surrendered the love of her husband, acceptance of her family and friends, and even her character to obey the Lord's command for her life.
Sometimes, God calls us to surrender certain things for His purpose. Mary knew what would happen once she reached her 2nd trimester. Everyone would be able see what they thought was sin. Mary knew she was innocent, and trusted her very life to God.
Outrageous Obedience 2: The Lord provides what we need when we are completely devoted to him.
She didn't lose her husband. God knew Mary would need a Godly man beside her to be her comfort and support. Joseph was perfect for the job. An angel visited Joseph, telling him that Mary was indeed innocent. I do not know if her family acknowledged her afterwards. I do not know if her life was threatened. All I know is the Lord protected his Mary and provided for her.
Outrageous Obedience 3: Remember and treasure the Lord's goodness and blessings in your life.
After Jesus was born, shepherds came immediately to see the king. Probably 2 years later, Magi came to visit and worship him. As Mary watched all of this, the Bible says in Matthew 2: 19 and 51, " But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart." Sometimes, remembering God's faithfulness and blessings in the past will help remind you that God is with you in hard times. It is so easy to think that God has abandoned us or doesn't care about us. Mary treasured and pondered God's faithfulness to remind her that God will provide and bless those who obey him.
Now here's the question: would you do all of this? Would you be like Mary and risk your life as you know it to outrageously obey? My prayer is we all would.
God Bless You!
Mary
As you may have noticed in our sidebar, we've just added a new poll. The poll will officially close on Friday, July 6 - please let us know what we can be doing better!
This is our first time trying the feature, so let us know if you have any problems.
Thanks,
Zechariah
Posted by your wonderful Mary
I apologize for the lack of posts recently. For all the blog members, life has been pretty crazy. But in my spare time, I found this website I thought it was worth looking at. The website is rebelution.com. This website and program is run by Joshua Harris'( author of I Kissed Dating Goodbye) little brothers. Talented family, huh? I encourage all of you to check it out, especially the blog.
God bless!
P.S. Please keep our colleague, Jonathan's grandmother in your prayers. Her surgery to remove a tumor was successful as far as they can tell but she has a long, painful recovery ahead. Please be praying for her husband and Jonathan's family as they care for her and their household. Thanks!
Ruth: A Woman of Loyalty | Ruth
Her father-in-law was dead, her sister-in-law’s husband was dead, and her own husband was dead. Yet what did she do? She took the bold journey into the unknown for a mother-in-law she loved and a God she desired. She had the option: she could have gone back to her people with her sister-in-law, Orpah, where she could have worshipped the pagan gods she undoubtedly had formerly known, and reveled either in acts of harlotry, or enjoyed another prosperous marriage to a fellow Moabite.
But this stubborn young woman, Ruth, was determined. We see this in her response to her mother-in-law, Naomi’s, plea. Naomi had migrated with her husband, Elimelech, to the land of Moab during a season of famine in her hometown of Bethlehem. Now, bereaved of a husband, sons, and any possible heirs to her name, she was returning empty to her homeland. She wanted her daughters-in-law to stay behind with their people and parents. Orpah consented, but Ruth did not.
Instead she “clung to her,” and said, “ ‘ Entreat me not to leave you…For wherever you go, I will go; and wherever you lodge, I will lodge; your people shall be my people, and your God, my God.’”
Already we see amazing resolution and wonder what incentive could have possibly encouraged Ruth to make such as rash decision. Did she know what she was doing? Of course she did. So why did she do it?
Well, the Biblical narrative of Ruth indicates a concept called loyal love. This word, is translated from the Hebrew, hesed. It is often used to describe God’s great and unfathomable love for his own people and sometimes translated unfailing love: “In your unfailing love you will lead the people you have redeemed…You will bring them in and plant them on the mountain of Your inheritance.” [Exodus 15: 13,17] The first use of the Hebrew word is in Naomi’s hope that God’s mercy and blessing would be extended through His ‘hesed’ towards her two daughter-in-laws, since they were Moabitesses, and not a part of God’s covenant with the Israelites. (see Deuteronomy 23: 3-4) However, not only is God’s ‘hesed’ revealed in this timeless story, but so is Ruth’s.
Ruth lived during the time of judges: a time period in Israel’s history (roughly 1380-1050 B.C.) before the establishment of the monarchy which came two generations later through King David. This period was a dark one of moral and spiritual decay—allowing the action of Ruth’s immovable commitment to her mother-in-law to stand out like a beautiful beacon—brilliant enough to record and include among the pages of the Christian Bible.
While Ruth’s dedication to Naomi was impressive, her commitment to Naomi’s God was especially so. She was leaving all she had known not only for a foreign land, but for a foreign God. Why would she risk so much for a single person and a deity who was not even her own by covenant? Why was she so sure of her future? We can only assume that Ruth knew something of this God of Israel; that she had seen some indicative proof of His existence. In her declaration to Naomi, she uses the sacred word Yahweh, which was an affirmation of belief in the one, true, living God. This is contrasted with what she could have said: “I’ll follow your deity, (whoever or whatever it is).” But in effect, she says, “Your Yahweh shall be my Yahweh.” She must have had some glimpse of His existence to make an oath to follow Him. Her faith was great and commendable, to believe that He would adopt her into His covenant. But then, that is the whole theme of the book, and, consequently, a major theme of the Bible:
God’s unfailing love has no bounds. He is ready and willing to extend his love and mercy to all who reach out to Him in faith. Ruth did just that. Her decision to follow the God of Israel seems to parallel the walk of faith that Christians are called to have when Jesus said, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me.” [Matthew 16:24] Ruth did just that. She self-lessly left all she had, and all she had known, and taken upon the burdens of an aging mother-in-law, a foreign land with possibly hostile people, and the hardships of trying to make out on their own as two widows in Israel’s time. She had no gain in this decision, except the unfailing love of God, in which and in Whom she put her faith.
When she arrived in Bethlehem, she dove straight into the responsibilities that awaited her as a provider for Naomi and herself. Humbly, she went to glean the left-over wheat and barley in a field that providentially happened to be that of Elimelech’s relative, Boaz. He took notice of her, and in his great compassion, spoke of her reputation and loving act towards Naomi, promised her protection in his field among his workers, and even sent her off with abundant supplies of food. His prayer spoken aloud to Ruth, interestingly, was fulfilled by God’s grace. He said to her, “The Lord repay your work, and a full reward be given you by the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come for refuge.” (2:12) By these words, he has indicated that those who search for God, find Him, as God willingly spreads ‘wings of protection’ and safekeeping over them in love. “He shall cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you will find refuge.” [Psalm 91:4]
Boaz’s kind and compassionate behavior was very symbolic of the future Savior, Jesus Christ, in that God allowed Boaz to act as a type of ‘redeemer’ for Ruth and Naomi. As a close relative of the family, it was his responsibility to play the role of what was considered a ‘kinsman redeemer’, providing an heir for Elimelech, and taking care of the poverty-stricken widows and redeem their sold land. Although this responsibility fell first to another closer relative, through legal agreement, Boaz kindly took on the financial and marital responsibilities of the kinsman-redeemer. He married Ruth, and thus was able to provide her a home, a haven, and a hope. Boaz’s charitable acts were very symbolic of God’s redeeming and loving acts towards His people—even those Gentiles, such as Ruth, who were not members of the first covenant.
At the close of the story, the narrator makes the astounding remark that Obed, Ruth’s son, became the grandfather of King David, thus making Ruth a part of the Messianic line.
God’s abounding provision and care for this alien widow who chose to humbly follow Him in loyal love is incredible. His fruitful reward for Ruth’s faith sets an amazing example for our Christian walk today. Why must we question? Why must we doubt? Ruth’s story plainly illustrates the blessings God grants those who humbly and submissively place their trust and adoration in Him. Her loyalty was steadfast and unwavering—cannot ours be too?
The Demise of Tradition | Zechariah
"Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath the the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant, or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates. For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. (Exodus 20:8-11)Such were the Old Testament standards of keeping the Sabbath. In recent modern times, however, the first day of the week has become less and less revered. Now Sunday is anticipated not for the opportunity (and, indeed, privilege) to worship God and give him glory, but for the allure of a fishing outing or football game - any last bit of trivial recreation one can squeeze in before the work week.
"Put simply, the 20th century happened. The Theory of Relativity. Electronic communication. An extreme increase in geographic mobility. Things that, in and of themselves, are not intrinsically wrong, contributed to the demise of tradition and religion in our world."Not surprisingly, Ringwald and Hemingway draw the same conclusion:
"The pace of commerce and technology provide unheard of options for ignoring family, religion and rest--not just on the Sabbath but every day of the week."So what is it about this type of communication that so immobilizes tradition? Why is it that such perversity has surfaced only since the 20th century? The answer? Original sin...for all to see. In our age of television and internet, we are desensitized by the constant scandals and outrages that are 'exposed' by the mainstream media. Meanwhile, when a former Playboy playmate dies, the entire country mourns and her face adorns the evening news for well over a month (see a brief post of mine on this here). It is just this such of behavior by the media (and the general public's assent to and participation in it) that has contributed to the demise of tradition.
For further reading:
In light of Jonathan's recent two-part series, I thought I'd backlink to a similar series that I wrote in March, Recovering our Roots. The two are very closely related, and many of you who were interested in Jonathan's posts may enjoy these as well.
View: Part 1 or Part 2
Zechariah
| Jonathan
As you clearly saw in my last post, our Christian heritage is foundational to the very existence of our nation. The American government was founded under the principles of God through his Word. Christianity not only flourished in this new nation, but it was also recognized as the authority in all matters.
So, what happened? Any newspaper-reading citizen can see that those above mentioned circumstances certainly no longer exist.
In short: Atheism. A belief void of God. Without God, the entire concept of morality, law, and religious belief is transformed into something entirely different. This new revision of morality, law, and religion is now viewed through the eyes of man and his logic, rather than the eyes and perspective of God. A series of attacks was constructed to undermine the faith that made our nation so successful.
The first attack was on our educational system. John Dewey, considered by most to be the father of modern education, was the first to bring a radically different view on education. Where as the New England Primer, with all of it's religious concepts and viewpoints, was the mainstay of public education, Dewey exclaimed that religion had no place in the educational sphere.
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"Faith in the prayer-hearing God is an unproved and outmoded faith. There is no God and there is no soul. Hence, there are no needs for the props of traditional religion. With dogma and creed excluded, then immutable truth is dead and buried. There is no room for fixed, natural law or moral absolutes."
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The best way to get rid of an ideal is, undoubtedly, to attack the impressionable upcoming generation, and feed them new ideas and concepts. As students were taught fluctuating moral law, a lack of absolutes, and nose-up look at religion, the effect of Christianity began to deteriorate.
Another vital attack against Christianity was in the realm of Law. Harvard, the college so well founded on the principles of the Bible, was the first to go. In 1869, Charles Elliot became president of Harvard University. Elliot, a self-proclaimed atheist, was intent on changing the face and direction of Harvard and it's law program.
In 1870, Elliot hired Christopher Langdell. Langdell was hardly qualified for the job, and the current law professors fought every whim of the hiring. Why would Elliot hire this man? Because he was an evolutionist. Remember, 1859 was when Origin of Species, the famous evolutionary writing by Charles Darwin, was published. Despite his limited credentials, Elliot assigned Langdell the title of Dane Professor of Law (and soon afterwords the Dean of Law Faculty).
The effects of such a decision were soon recognized by Christians. Langdell brought a relativistic approach to interpreting the law, and also did what he could to throw the religious perspective out as well. His case method, which viewed the law relative to it's surrounding culture, soon became the most prevalent form of practiced law and still is today.
What is the case method, you ask? Hebert Titus quotes Langdell describing his own method.
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"Law, considered as a science, consists of certain principles or doctrines. To have such a mastery of these as to be able to apply them with constant facility and certainty to the ever-tangled skein of human affairs, is what constitutes a true lawyer; and hence to acquire that mastery should be the business of every earnest student of law.
Each of these doctrines has arrived at its present state by slow degrees; in other words, it is a growth, extending in many cases through centuries. This growth is to be traced in the main through a series of cases; and much the shortest and best, if not the only way of mastering the doctrine effectually is by studying the cases in which it is embodied."
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His relativistic approach caught fire in American Law. Legal Positivism, rather than the Word of God, became the basis for lawmaking in the United States.
Ironically, a new era came to completion through the views of another Supreme Court Justice. While James Wilson (as mentioned in part 1) campaigned for the Biblical interpretation and foundation
of American Law as a Court Justice, Oliver Wendell Holmes drew America to evolutionary law.
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"The life of law has not been logic, it has been experience. In order to know what it is, we must know what has been and what is to come.
Law is simply an embodiment of the ends and purposes of society at a given point in it's history...beliefs that have triumphed, and nothing more."
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The third, and perhaps most destructive attack of all, has been against the character of our founding fathers. They are illustrated as deists and cultural heroes, but never in their actual state as living and active Christians, with their faith first and foremost on their mind and hearts.
They are seen as men unwilling to mix religion and government, despite their obvious attempts and willingness to do so. Never mind willingness, the actions described in law as to who should and shouldn't be in political office is proof enough. But, as I said before, our educational system has been ripped from the true Christian heritage.
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"The Christian right is trying to rewrite the history of the United States as part of its campaign to force its religion on others. They try to depict the founding fathers as pious Christians who wanted the United States to be a Christian nation, with laws that favored Christians and Christianity.
This is patently untrue. The early presidents and patriots were generally Deists or Unitarians, believing in some form of impersonal Providence but rejecting the divinity of Jesus and the absurdities of the Old and New testaments."
-Steven Morris, Free Inquiry
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Sadly, we are on a similar path as to that of Israel. As a nation, we have forgotten God and his blessings on our country's creation. Unfortunately, we are headed for the wrong end of the "Cycle of Nations," a concept that illustrates the good and bad tides of a country that chooses to follow God, and then strays. This is illustrated clearly in Hosea 13:6.
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Hosea 13:6
When I fed them, they were satisfied;
when they were satisfied, they became proud;
then they forgot me.
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I am also reminded of Jesus's warning to the Church of Ephesus in the book of Revelation.
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Revelation 2:5
Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lamp stand from its place.
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There is no church in Ephesus today. It does not exist.
When a lamp stand is removed, no light can shine from it's place, and darkness quickly assumes the position previously held. America is "a shining city upon a hill" as John Winthrop said. But God will remove that light if we continue to remove ourselves from him.
Do not give up, however. We must urge one another in the actions of 2 Chronicles 7. We must come back to God.
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2 Chronicles 7:13-14
When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my people,
if my people, who are called by my name,
will humble themselves
and pray
and seek my face
and turn from their wicked ways,
then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.
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I pray that we do return to our Christian roots, and that in the end we realize who brought this country up, and who will bring it down.
God Bless America.
...
Reference: Del Tacket, Truth Project. Lesson 10: The American Experiment. Focus on the Family Institute, Focus on the Family
Mary
Note: I will be talking about some stuff in the movie that may ruin the entire plot for those who have not seen it yet. Unless you are like me and don't mind movie-spoilers, go check out the movie first :-).
I still remember where I was when I saw the release date for Pirates of the Caribbean 3: At World's End. I was in the movie theaters when its preview appeared. I think I jumped out of my skin. I clapped my hands with joy as the date May 25, 2007 appeared on that screen. As a true, die-hard fan, that date was marked, circled, highlighted, sticky-noted and stamped in my assignment notebook for school, even on the family calendar! I was ready!
Like most girls, I was frustrated when Will and Elizabeth's wedding didn't happen in the second movie (although I had a hunch it would be delayed anyway). I laughed hard as Jack again stole the audience with some awesome, hilarious lines! I cheered Elizabeth on as she raced to save and fight alongside the man she loved! YOU GO GIRL! I was COMPLETELY shocked when she kissed Jack Sparrow. I fumed as Will and Elizabeth's relationship fell apart.
I was dying to see the end of the story, really hoping Will and Elizabeth would get over this stupidity and many misunderstandings. I finally went to see the movie with my wonderful boyfriend. I think he got a kick out of how excited I was.
Overall, I enjoyed the movie. I sighed with a huge relief as Will FINALLY took Elizabeth as his wife( I have to say though, I thought I was going to have a heart attack when Will was stabbed). But unfortunately, I was disappointed with the story line. In some stages, it dragged on as it included some really bizarre scenes like Davy Jones' locker. That was interesting. But one portion of the story bothered me because of its unrealistic ending. Sadly, I am going to write about the love story between Will and Elizabeth, an unrealistic love story.
No, I am not talking about all the events surrounding their relationship. I believe God has an incredible sense of humor and will provide us with some interesting adventures. I am talking about their actual relationship. Read and learn :-).
Will and Elizabeth take 1: Relationship Fallacy
A relationship can/will work without trust.
Elizabeth and Will have been growing further and further apart since the end of the second movie. Will finally confronts Elizabeth with her distance. He asks her a simple question, "Can I trust you?" I moaned in agony as she responded. "You can't." She returned to the deck leaving Will to absorb what she said.
I am going to pick on the ladies first. If you cannot trust the guy in your life, your relationship will be tough if not fail. Guys desire respect. If you cannot trust your guy or he cannot trust you, you will not be able to respect him. God wasn't joking when he commanded wives to respect their husbands. There are always exceptions but in most cases, if trust and respect are not the foundation of a relationship, it will fail. The men will feel disrespected and won't trust his lady, and the ladies will be living in constant fear, feeling unloved. Who wants that kind of relationship?
Have you ever noticed that normally guys don't talk about people liking them; they talk about people respecting them. When women think of a welcoming response by a new group of women, they think, "This group likes me!" When guys think of that response by a group of men, they normally will think "They respect me." Would Will and Elizabeth's relationship really have lasted in reality? I doubt it.
Will and Elizabeth take 2:Relationship Half Truth
Lack of communication can destroy a relationship but you can just ignore that and it will go away.
As a girl, I can talk my head off with my girlfriends. I always have something to say. But if you asked me to tell my boyfriend exactly how I feel about certain things, it would be like pulling teeth. I have had to learn that speaking up about my feelings to my boyfriend actually helps him understand me better.
Throughout the entire movie, Elizabeth and Will are not communicating. Elizabeth has not explained that little incident with Jack to Will. Will has not explained his dealings to Elizabeth. IT'S A MESS! Communication is the literal wedge that separates relationships, especially in divorce. Sure! Will marries Elizabeth and they let things be for a time. Woo-hoo, problem seems solved because they love each other!
But in reality, how long would that last? Sure, they are madly in love now. Thousands of people claim they are in love everyday, then why don't their relationships last? It almost always comes down to communication. If communication lines are down between your special person and you, fix them. It will save you a lot of heartache and trouble. Normally, it's an easy fix. For girls, normally just talking about something and having the guy understand us DOES WONDERS! For guys, it gives them the opportunity to understand us and learn how to communicate better.
But there is something very close to reality in this movie.
Will and Elizabeth Take 3: Relationship Truth
1 John 3:18
"Dear Children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth."
In real life, if Elizabeth told Will she loved him but continued to contradict that statement with her actions, would Will believe her? I wouldn't. Jesus Christ, through John, wanted to remind us that actions speak louder than words. I cannot stress this enough, if your actions do not match what you are telling your special person, they will NOT believe you.
My heart fluttered as Will, fighting for his life, pulled Elizabeth ( also fighting) into his arms and said, " I love you." I cheered as he then proposed for the second time. What a relief! Will finally took a stand and caught the girl he loved. His actions reflected his words.
It is always nice to finally know how a person feels, guys and girls. Ladies, I suggest letting the guy say "I love you" first and proposing just like Will did in the movie. Guys, Honesty is always helpful to us girls. Sometimes, you have to take the risk. You may actually say something personal that she needed to hear. Ladies, graciousness, encouragement, and support is helpful as well. Cheer on your man! "Fight" along side him like Elizabeth :-).
So, what does trust+respect+communication equal? A good, solid relationship :-).
I hope I didn't ruin the movie to much for you all and I hope I planted some ideas for your relationships. I would love other suggestions as well! God Bless You All!
