Hi Ladies,

The lives of women today are far different from what they used to be. In the USA, we generally marry later than in the past, often choosing to postpone nuptials until our careers are better established. If not wedded in our early twenties, we’ve learned not only to earn our own incomes, but to manage our lives.

    When such an accomplished woman, approaching or beyond her 30th birthday, decides to marry, or remarry, she tends not to seek the same attributes in a husband as in earlier years. She has her own pursuits and successes, and may be answering a calling from God upon her life. She’s a highly valuable pearl who will be a tremendous asset to the man who finds her. However, without her having noticed it, the pool of available men around her has changed.

In our twenties, the selection of fellows can seem almost limitless, and they are often older and more successful than we are. In our own age range, we can expect our future mate to be ambitious and carving out his own place in the world. Then comes The Thirties Dilemma.

As we’ve matured, the number of eligible men has steadily declined. They’ve gotten married, been incarcerated, decided they are gay, are unsaved, or have become unsuitable for a multitude of other reasons. Her marital options now appear to be either to continue to wait for God’s “Best”, although she’s not quite sure what that is anymore, or to select her partner from men she previously would not have considered. As a committed Believer, willing to trust God for her mate, a lady might be inclined to see all other Believers as having worth. She may place the most value on a man being a Christian. So what if he has issues…who doesn’t? Let’s take a look at some of these new guys…

 

THE YOUNGER/LESS EDUCATED/UNEMPLOYED/DIVORCED MAN

    There is nothing wrong with any of the men listed here, as long as they have a strong commitment to Jesus Christ. A perfectly acceptable guy can wear some of these labels, and remain unhindered while he searches for a suitable lady love.

The problems occur when a woman is not clearly aware of the ramifications of his situation with regard to marriage. If she understands and accepts the circumstances that may accompany this fellow, and if God has ordained the relationship, he may actually be her “treasure”, and she should not hesitate to accept him as her mate. So lets’ explore some of the concerns that may surface.

YOUNGER MAN: As a woman grows more experienced in life, especially if she’s made an effort to retain her physical, mental and spiritual attractiveness, she could find that she is being courted by a younger man. And she might not be automatically inclined to dismiss him as a potential husband.

I’ve always believed that if you aren’t old enough to be a guy’s mother, then you’re in the same generation, and within a suitable age range, but I know of couples where the fellow is younger by as much as fourteen years. Such unions have challenges, but if both partners love and are committed to God and to each other, the age disparity is workable. The attentions of a younger man are flattering, and marriages can succeed if the spouses are mature and tolerant. However, there are many reasons why pitfalls may also arise – among them is if she succumbs to mothering him, if the question of offspring has not been resolved beforehand, or if she becomes insecure about his reaction to her aging.

Unfortunately, I’m already out of space, so let’s continue next week. Until then – Joy and Shalom!

PLEASE NOTE: The sole purpose of this blog is ministry…please like and share with everyone you feel might be interested. Thanks!