Undivided

As many of you know, I had a personal epiphany in adult Sunday School last year. We were studying 1 Corinthians 7, about how single people are missing an important aspect of life; they lack an important component of living that marriage provides lots of; and nowadays, single people are finding it outside marriage, even though marriage is the only appropriate setting for it. I am speaking, of course, of
distraction.
 
1 Corinthians 7:32b-34 says:

An unmarried man is concerned about the Lord’s affairs – how he can please the Lord. But a married man is concerned about the affairs of this world – how he can please his wife – and his interests are divided. An unmarried woman or virgin is concerned about the Lord’s affairs:  Her aim is to be devoted to the Lord in both body and spirit. But a married woman is concerned about the affairs of this world – how she can please her husband.

So even when godly people are married to each other, their spouse – physically present and having needs – calls attention away from kingdom work. God created marriage, and rightly done it is a reflection of Christ’s love for His bride, the church. But it comes at the cost of divided interests. I can’t speak for men, but I know moms understand this division viscerally – even when she is alone, her kids are on her mind, even when they are old enough to have kids of their own. 
 
The kicker for me was verse 35: 

I am saying this for your own good, not to restrict you, but that you may live in a right way, in undivided devotion to the Lord.

And I thought – “Whoa  –  I’m not a single person with all that socially-implied emptiness; I am (or at least have the opportunity to be) undivided. So, being a product of my times, I had my personally galvanizing turn of thought turned into a T-shirt. 

It has sparked some conversations, and given some people encouragement.

Since then, inspiration for talking point T-shirts has been popping up. While listening to Wayne discuss the light of God’s love a few weeks ago, this is what I saw:
 
Bill and I sometimes pass remarks in the back on particularly good points Wayne makes, and Bill is primarily responsible for this one:

Maybe you’ve had a similar experience – a flash of insight, a fresh twist. Maybe we can turn them into Talking Point T-shirts that we could sell on-line as mission fund-raisers, perhaps. Not snarky – rather, truthful, thoughtful messages that could encourage others who wonder about the things you wonder about. 

Here’s one I thought of after the video last week:

Does not praying make my BUT look big?

Well, they can’t all be winners.