“Now a man of the tribe of Levi married a Levite woman, and she became pregnant and gave birth to a son. When she saw that he was a fine child, she hid him for three months.” Exodus 2:1-2
An occupational hazard with having the job of saving the world is that we can start saying no to everything that can’t be proven to directly impact our purpose. It hadn’t been that many years since God had promised Abraham that his descendents would provide hope for the world. “Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me.” Genesis 22:17-18. So we find this young Jewish couple, Amram and Jochebed living with the rest of their nation under the oppression of a cruel Egyptian slave master, many miles from the land of promise, where their purpose was to be realized. It seemed like a weird time to be thinking about marriage and romance.
I’ve seen, a fair number of people in my life who have become gripped by a sense of mission and the inevitable stress brought on by taking the road marked purpose, STOP saying yes to life. This is not only unnecessary it is a bad strategy. Dietrich Bonhoeffer, that 20th century giant in the faith, fell in love with Maria von Wedemeyer and proposed marriage while he was up to his eyeballs in the Nazi resistance movement. One may say that was a terrible thing to do since he was executed by a direct order of the Fuhrer three weeks before that mad man committed suicide in a Berlin Bunker, but the letters between those two lovers are some of the richest material you will ever read. Maria, a mathematician, joined Honeywell Inc. in Boston and was known in the computer industry for her role in developing what is known as emulation capability. You can visit her grave today at Mt Auburn cemetery outside of Boston. I say that their love was a triumph not a distraction.
Consider the results of Mr. Amram and Miss Jochebed’s wedding celebration and subsequent marriage in such difficult times. Their embracing of the joys of marriage didn’t remove them from the purpose of God but fulfilled the purpose of God. The result of their decision to say yes to natural life was “Moses.” Without Moses, Israel’s not getting out of Egypt. Without Moses, God’s people aren’t moving to the promised land. Saying yes to life in difficult times is one of the most purpose filled and promising things you can do. Fast forward a hundred years later when, through disobedience, God’s chosen people found themselves in Babylonian captivity, so we read, “He has sent this message to us in Babylon: It will be a long time. Therefore build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce.'” Jeremiah 29:28
So in these tumultuous times, I do hope you are gripped by a missional vision that causes you to dive headlong into your spiritual vocation, take life seriously and focus on eternity. The cliché is accurate, “tis one life, will soon be past only what’s done for Christ will last,” but don’t forget the promises of God and the presence of God still show up in the midst of good fun, delicious food, good human love, and relaxing leisure. The world will be saved by grace, not stress. Say yes to this life, enjoy your friends, your spouse, if you have one. Refine the art of celebrating righteously.
“God richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.” 1 Timothy 6:17
