Dethroning Marriage

It started when I picked up Timothy Keller’s Counterfeit Gods
from the library bookshelf. I’d read books by Keller before and knew that I enjoyed his writing style and respected his theology. It would be an easy read.

What I didn’t count on was how God would use that book to change my heart.

“Idols capture our imagination, and we can locate them by looking at our daydreams. What do we enjoy imagining? What are our fondest dreams?”
~Timothy Keller, Counterfeit Gods p. xxii

When I read those words, I knew exactly what served as my most prominent idol: marriage.

For years, marriage had been my fondest daydream. What’s more, it had become what Jerry Bridges calls a “functional savior”. When times got hard at work and I was stressed, I thought “If only I were married I wouldn’t have to work a job like this to support myself.” When I didn’t have time to pursue the domestic tasks I so enjoy, I thought “If only I were married and could be a stay-at-home wife.” I considered marriage to be the answer to whatever problem I felt I had.

Life would be perfect if only I were married.

And then God flashed the word “idol” with neon lights above my daydreams.

Keller’s book was just what I needed, both to identify my idol and to give direction for overcoming it. Keller emphasized that idols couldn’t just be dethroned, Christ had to be enthroned.

By God’s grace, I began to dethrone marriage and enthrone Christ at the center of my heart.

Then I got the Facebook message sent to my phone.

“Rebekah
I want you to know that I have a policy against doing what I’m about to be doing…”

I was at my parents’ house for the weekend, there for my niece’s first birthday party. As a result, I really didn’t have easy access to the internet. I mused on the strange intro a bit, but figured that Jeremy was going to ask for nutrition advice.

When I logged on to the internet the next morning, I discovered just how wrong my assumption had been.

Jeremy was asking for permission to set me up with a friend of his–who happened to also be his sister’s brother-in-law.

To be continued…