Life Before

There is, I believe, a common misconception about life with many young men and women. This is that an event in their life is going to happen, that will either set them free from their home to allow them to finally do great things; or will make everything better. If it is marriage you are waiting for, remember that, after marriage, you will still be a sinner, after marriage you will still have responsibility, after marriage there will still be temptations, you will still have to eat you will still have to sleep. In short, you will still be you. Sitting around waiting for an event, marriage or anything else, and thinking that that event will solve all of your problems is somewhat like a soldier sitting around in basic training, waiting to become a soldier, while not doing anything. Even if he passes, not only will he have the same difficulties as when in basic, he will now find that he has more difficulties because he was lazy when he could have been doing things before.

Marriage is not salvation, it is simply another phase of sanctification. The old nature is not slain at the marriage alter. If you are lazy or disrespectful to your parents or siblings now, you will be lazy and disrespectful when you get married.

The secret is not to find some position (i.e. marriage, fame, prestige) from which you can look down upon all of life's troubles. If you go around looking for that, you will look forever. You must realize that every moment from the time you are born until the time you die is going to be a battle, a battle against self, against sin, against the temptations of this present life. So instead wondering around waiting, begin doing. There is nothing in the scripture that says God only be glorified if you are at a certain stage in your life. We need to glorify God now. If you are under the authority of a father, ask him what his vision is, ask him what you can do to help him accomplish it. (A note on this: when you are under Godly authority, your vision for your entire life may not be the same as that of your authority, for instance your passion may be film making and his speaking to homeschooled audiences on math. If you are unable to make these two visions coincide, surrender yours for the present and remember that the ultimate purpose, to Glorify God, is still the same.)

There are wondrous things to be done now. If you wait for a time in which to do them, or if you wait for a time when everything will be easy, you will wait forever. Perhaps the hard things you need to do are obeying the fifth commandment, or being a faithful son. Perhaps your hard things, the things you need to accomplish are things such as starting a business or writing a book. Perhaps it is something else. In any event, instead of waiting for an event, begin glorifying God now with your time, your resources, and your energy. In the parable of the unfaithful servant who hid his coin, The Master tells the faithful servant "Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord."

Through His Strength We Will Conquer,
Andrew C. Abbott