Everybody in the entire world needs to read Timothy Keller's book The Meaning of Marriage, especially single people and people who are newly married. Wow.

I really, really needed to hear this today:

"What, then, is marriage for? It is for heping each other to become our future glory-selves, the new creations that God will eventually make us...You have an old self and a new self (Ephesians 4:24). The old self is crippled with anxieties, the need to prove yourself, bad habits you can't break, and many besetting sins and entrenched character flaws. The new self is still you, but you liberated from all your sins and flaws. This new self is always a work in progress, and sometimes the clouds of the old self make it almost completely invisible. But sometimes the clouds really part, and you see the wisdom, courage, and love of which you are capable. It is a glimpse of where you are going."

That's just what I needed to hear today. Another wonderful quote is the foundation for the whole book:

"The gospel is this: We are more sinful and flawed in ourselves than we ever dared believe, yet at the very same time we are more loved and accepted in Jesus Christ than we ever dared hope. This is the only kind of relationship that will really transform us. Love without truth is sentimentality; it supports and affirms us but keeps us in denial about our flaws. Truth without love is harshness; it gives us information but in such a way that we cannot really hear it. God's saving love in Christ, however, is marked by both radical truthfulness about who we are and yet also radical, unconditional commitment to us. The merciful commitment strengthens us to see the truth about ourselves and repent. The conviction and repentance moves us to cling to and rest in God's mercy and grace."

There's more...lots more...But I need to retire to bed.

Hope these words encourage and inspire you today.

-Stephanie

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