The other day I said to my older son (Abel-18), “Hey, do you have a girlfriend? I don’t hear you talking about this part of your life. I hope you don’t hide it from me.”
Most of our family discussions happen in the kitchen because outside the kitchen we all (five of us, three of our kids and my hubby and I) have our separate private spots that we don’t want anyone to invade. So, Abel was cleaning up the table and putting the dishes in the dishwasher while I asked him this question. So, he turned around and said, “I’m married to Christ, Mom! I need no girls.”
I’m not lying, I was about to stop breathing. This young man is my son, I raised him, I taught him how David killed Goliath, wearing different costumes acting like David and acting like Goliath so to broaden his imagination of the truth of God. I taught him what I know about marriage and what God’s agenda is in the marriage of one man and one woman. And when he turned six, I remember asking him, “So, Abel, who do you love first?”
“Now?”
I was like, “Then when? Yes, now.”
“Now, I love my mom first but after I get married, I would love my wife first.”
I cheered him up and gave him high five!
But I don’t remember a day that I taught him that he is married to Christ and he doesn’t need to look for a wife.
If you live with Abel, you understand his language. He is very smart when he makes his point. At times, though, he makes you feel stupid, in a good way (if there is any good way for feeling stupid).
Anyways, I said, “Abel, I’m not kidding! The Bible doesn’t say that we are married with Christ and that we don’t need to marry.”
“Do you want me to prove you wrong?” He immediately asked.
When it comes to what the Bible says or does not say, I won’t argue with him because he always wins.
At this point I was frustrated and terrified at the same time. So, he hugged me and said, “Don’t panic mom! I will be on it soon, but not now. I am busy right now, don’t you see? I hardly have time to eat, let alone pursue a girl. What I meant is I’m married with Christ now to calm myself down until I’m ready to look for a wife and by the way, I will look for a wife in Ethiopia, not in America.”
Phew! Thank you! (I don’t care where he looks for a wife, I just want him to look for one, that is all!)
You see, it is good to teach our kids about God and the Bible so they know Christ personally but we have to make sure that we always keep asking them different probing questions to make sure that they keep in touch with this life. I mean, can you just imagine me for a second trying to convince my own kids to divorce Christ and marry a human being? Yeah, that can be a bit tricky and ugly especially having many Bible verses in front of me where God says that He is our Husband or Paul saying that we are betrothed to Christ (Isaiah 54:5; Jeremiah 3:14, 2 Corinthians 11:2). ///