By Kelsey Fink
It has been four months since the Rock Your Marriage conference in Ann Arbor. As I have continued to pray, think, and reflect on the conference these past few months, there has been one statement from the final session that I just cannot get out of my head–“It is all about advancing the kingdom of God through the institution of marriage.”
“It is all about advancing the kingdom of God through the institution of marriage.”
I have been finding myself confronted by this statement over and over. Are we advancing the kingdom of God DAILY through our marriage? Am I helping Sam (my spouse) and Emmylou (my daughter) further the mission of the church?
Now, this isn’t a new idea. The Bible reminds us over and over again to set our minds on the things above (Colossians 3:2), to not worry about our clothes and our food, for life is so much more than those things (Matthew 6:25).
Every morning I wake up and think about my day while I drink my coffee–what do I need to accomplish? Often my to-do list looks a little like this: meal plan, grocery shop, cook dinner, fold laundry, clean bathrooms, make beds, let the dog out, and a hundred other little things I (and my family) do everyday. And all too often, in the midst of lists and events and day-to-day life, we can quickly and without realizing lose sight of the mission.
And all too often, in the midst of lists and events and day-to-day life, we quickly and without realizing it can lose sight of the mission.
Do you know if there is somebody at your spouse’s workplace who they are currently working to reach for the Lord? Do we encourage our kids in their mission or are we spending too much time with our eyes on our to-do list and our calendar to leave time for the Holy Spirit to convict and call?
Are we as St. Luke Lutheran Church advancing the kingdom of God through the institution of marriage and family? Are we encouraging our pew neighbor in their mission as a family? So I encourage you to ask your spouse, your kids, your roommate, your siblings: how can I help you to advance the kingdom of God today?
So I encourage you to ask your spouse, your kids, your roommate, your siblings: how can I help you to advance the kingdom of God today?
And maybe, just maybe, in shifting our focus each day to our ultimate purpose and to the people around us, all the other little stresses that sometimes take up more time than they ought will fall away, and we will instead find ourselves in the midst of a full and fulfilling Christ-centered life. Because as we know, it really is all about advancing the kingdom of God.
