Life Lessons Inspired By Samson

Hi and welcome back to another article! Today I wanted to share with you a story that I have read a little while ago that has inspired me a few life lessons. I have heard some people say it before that the Bible is so outdated and that most of what is in there doesn’t apply anymore to the days we live in. To be honest, I chose to disagree with it. There are a lot of life lesson in the Bible that would have saved us some of the trouble we were/ are going through if we would just open and read it. Most importantly we wouldn’t have to fight so many battles blindly, begging for direction if we were paying attention to what God was telling through His word. Some of the reason our society is crumbling today is that we have chosen deliberately to ignore the spiritual and moral code of conduct that God has given us and instead, decided to establish our own, built on our own taste, desire, determination of what we think is good or bad. We have twisted and diluted the essence of the blueprint we have been given to better fit our quest to obtain some of the things that have send our whole society system in mayhem and some of our lives down the drain. And the case of Samson is no more different than some of us here. I say us because honestly I have been there too.

Samson was born to Manoach, a man from the Dan tribe in Israel and his wife whose name is not mentioned but whom we know was barren. Before the birth of Samson, a messenger of God was sent to her and her husband to give them specific instruction as to how to behave during her pregnancy (Judges 13:2-4) because this boy she was going to give birth to would be consecrated to God even before he was born (Judges 13:5). The Bible says nothing about the child upbringing but his story starts when the spirit of the Lord fell on him for the very first time. He was a powerful instrument in the hands of God but slowly, his heart started to lead him astray from God. The first lesson that jumped to my eyes when I read this story is how chosing your spouse can make or break you, make or wreck your destiny if you are outside of God’s will for you. In Judges 16, the Bible tells us that Samson fell in love with a woman named Dalila and she was from Soreq. Later in that chapter, we see that she is actually the one that sold out Samson to the philistines and we know what happened next: samson’s hair was cut, he was brought captive to the land of the philistines. And seeing after how abruptly samson’s ministry came to an end, I can’t help brut wonder: would this have been different if he had submitted his heart and his ways to God? Probably. Samson was led by his heart and it is where the beginning of the end came from him. speaking about the heart of men, Jeremiah 19:7 says :

"The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it? "

The first lesson from this story is learning to trust God and seek Him for all the decisions of our lives, especially when it comes to choosing the right spouse for us. Choosing your spouse is one of the most important decision that we are called to make into our life and as christian, the second most important (the first one being accepting Jesus as our Lord and savior). Whoever you end up marrying can do or undo your life, propel you into your destiny and make or break your dreams/ vision. Unfortunately, for Samson the woman his heart was set on undid his life and wreck his ministry in the process. Reading this story reinforced in me the idea that it is very important to be equally yoked with the person you plan on marrying. Not only spiritually because when you marry you become one, but also from the standpoint of your values, your goals and your objectives in life. It is important to be with someone who shares and embrace your vision and who you share the same values with because those values will be the foundations upon which your marriage will rest. Let me say this again: love is important but it is not enough to keep a marriage from collapsing. Romantic feelings will fade over time or not be as strong as they were in the beginning, there will be highs and lows in your marriage and you are going to need something solid as a foundation. This is were having common goals and values will save your marriage because not matter how hard the bad days are and not matter how difficult the journey is, you are both moving in the same direction. You have to make sure you are both building each other and by having the same vision, you are walking with the same spirit in order to reach the goals you have set for your marriage. If people who are not christian know how important it is to marry to the right person, why as christan do we rush into marrying, willing to settle for anything just because it is available ? why do we rush into marrying the wrong person? Sometimes after even God gave us clear signs that we shouldn't do it? It is time we start submitting to God and seek him before our emotions and heart led decisions wreck us, along with our destiny, especially when it comes to chosing a spouse because when it comes to that matter it is all about being wise rather than being fast.

The second lesson from this story is that contrary to belief, God’s grace runs out when we deliberately and blatantly chose to live a life that does not honor Him. Delilah was from a town named Soreq which during my research I found means "vine", "noble vineyard". When Manoach’s wife was approached by the angel of God one of the instruction she was given is to not consume anything from a vineyard as it would affect Samson anointment. This should have also been a prescription for Samson to follow obviously. Although in a literal sense he did not really consume a product from the vineyard, in a figurative sense he did when he attached himself to a woman who descended from “a noble vineyard” (Soreq). He boldly and wholeheartedly ignored god’s prescription and decided to have what he wanted anyway. And because he had managed to extricate himself from the hands of his enemies three times (Judges 16) he thought the fourth time would be the same. But because he got comfortable enjoying what God had prohibited him from, he fell into a situation where God could not save him from. The Bible says that he opened his whole heart to Delilah which is a physical representation of the things that God prohibits us from, a physical representation of the sin we deliberately and wholeheartedly embrace, adopt, and pet thinking “meh… I walked away before and I can always do it again. I’ll pray and ask God to deliver me. I’ll ask for God’s grace”. Although it is true that God’s grace is accessible it should not be abused; although it is true that God’s grace is always available, it does run out and Samson was one of those of us who found out the hard way.  Judges 16: 18- 21 tells us how things unfolded for Samson after he opened his heart to Delilah:


“ When Delilah saw that he had told her all his heart, she sent and called the lords of the Philistines, saying, “Come up again, for he has told me all his heart.” Then the lords of the Philistines came up to her and brought the money in their hands.  She made him sleep on her knees. And she called a man and had him shave off the seven locks of his head. Then she began to torment him, and his strength left him. And she said, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” And he awoke from his sleep and said, “I will go out as at other times and shake myself free.” But he did not know that the Lord had left him. And the Philistines seized him and gouged out his eyes and brought him down to Gaza and bound him with bronze shackles. And he ground at the mill in the prison. But the hair of his head began to grow again after it had been shaved.”



My Lord… Isn’t it horrible what happened? In another version of the Bible it is said they plucked Samson’s eyes and send him in captivity. This is physical representation of what happen in the spiritual world when we sin: we become spiritually blind. We can’t see where we are going anymore and we “grope in the dark without light and tagger like a drunken man” (Job 12:25). Sin felt good for a moment to Samson but led him to a terrible place of brokenness and suffering: his eyes were plucked, he was led into captivity and put in shackles. But there thank God there is a restauration after that as “ the hair of his head began to grow again after it had been shaved”(Judges 16:22). One day te philistines were rejoicing and wanted some amusement, so they sent for Samson to be fetched. As Samson got into the temple of the philistines god, he prayed and asked God for strength one last time to vindicate himself for the loss of his sight. God listen and answered and as he avenged himself he also died with his oppressor. This story could have probably ended another way? Yes but it ended this way for a reason that only God knows. But let us make a different choice today. Let us turn away from the very things that would lead us in the dark places we would be in if didn’t make the bad choices that we made in the first place. And if we made those choices and we feel it’s already too late, let’s all remember that there’s still redemption in Christ and that his saving grace is still enough to snatch us from the hand of our enemies at the condition that we wholeheartedly turn away from our sins and vile ways and submit to God as well as his will for our life.

So instead of trusting a heart that is deceitful and physical strengths, reasonings that just as Samson can abandon us at any given moment, let’s Trust in the Lord with all our heart, and do not lean on our own understanding; let’s acknowledge Him in all your ways which literally means submit entirely everything to Him, seek his will for us in ALL areas of our lives, and He will make straight our paths (Prov 3:5-6)

Hope this helped someone!

The Wait Before Meeting The King

Welcome back to the blog for a new article! Today I wanted to talk about a different aspect of being single. I wanted to touch on the opposite idea that is being preached to single women: The idea that in order to meet someone you need to be proactive (aka look for him). I felt like it was a good topic to talk about because in an era where women and men are considered as equals in so many aspects of life, it is sometimes expect that women have to be proactive about finding a man. It has become such an obsession that people sometimes miss the greatest and biggest lessons about life and relationships trying to rush out of their single season. But one thing we tend to forget is that whatever we do not heal shall repeat itself and whatever test we do not pass life will present it to us again and again and again, until we finally get it.

I have been single for a minute and deciding to stop entertaining some grown boys nonsense and run after some of them like a headless chicken, I took some time to think about relationships. I have always entertained the idea of marriage but during the single season I have been walking in for a little while now, I have done a LOT of soul searching. And although, like every young woman my age, I aspire to get married soon (-er rather than later), I had to let my head cool off and come to term with the fact that perhaps I am not ready yet. At first it felt like I got smacked in the face (real good, like hood good) but it was one of those raw and honest moment that I typically have only when I hit rock bottom or when I am trying so hard for something to happen and I hit a brick wall. I knew I wasn’t ready because I was chasing. I knew I wasn’t ready because I was seeking companionship because I was tired of being single. I knew I wasn’t ready because getting married was another accomplishment on my list, another box I was trying to check with the wrong persons (at times). I knew I wasn’t ready because although I was enticed by the idea of being married, I realized that the idea and the reality of it where two different things. And I was not prepared for the reality of it.

So I went a little bit in the book of Esther and did a little bit of reading. After Vashti was disgraced by the King, he sent out word to select the most beautiful ladies of each province, bring them to the harem and after a period of time, he would pick one of them to be made queen. However, before any of those young women was called before the king, she had to be prepared. This preparation would last twelve months and was known as the beautification process. So Esther did not directly appear before the King. She was set apart, refined and polished for ten months, then she appeared before the king who “loved her more than all the women” (Est 2:17). And this has to do with the fact that, besides God’s grace and favor on her, she did not rush the process: no matter how long it took for her to get ready, Esther followed the instructions from the beginning to the end. She stayed the course of it, did not look for a shortcut or tried to do things her way.

As Christian women, we are also in preparation to meet Jesus our King but also the man that he has appointed for our life. But just like Esther we have to undergo a beautification process and in our case it has to do with our soul, our heart, our life (physical and spiritual) so that by the time we are to appear before our king and be revealed to him, we are ready. We have had time to get rid of what was hindering us, we are not entertaining the nonsense anymore but rather we are beautifying ourselves in the presence of God because the Bible says in psalm 45: 13 “All glorious is the princess within her chamber; her gown is interwoven with gold.” Because she is not a queen yet but rather a princess she is dwelling into the palace of her father, the King of King. So the Glory that is depicted in this verse comes from being into God’s presence by praying, meditating the word of God and walking accordingly rather than dwelling/ walking in the flesh. The beautifying process as a Christian woman, starts with seeking God, refusing to entertain things/ people that can forfeit our call/ future/career/walk with Christ and is perfected with our ability to follow God instructions in our time of preparation/walk in obedience no matter how long it is. And trust me, sometimes it can feel like a VERY LONG TIME but Esther is an example of why it is worth it. She is an example that walking in obedience and trusting God works and I am sure that there are many examples like this! 

Don’t get me wrong: the wait and preparation season can be frustrating and daunting sometimes; especially when you have been a bridesmaid at five different weddings in a year but you’re still undergoing the beautifying process (I haven’t reached that level yet but if you’re looking for a bridesmaid just email me. I won’t let you down. just kidding. No I'm not...) And Some days you just get so much into your feelings that the only thing you want to do is have ice cream for breakfast and live on your couch. But guess what you cannot do that! You cannot because you would only be delaying your time for the blessing and lengthen the process. And no matter how hard it is (and some days it really is hard, giving-yourself-the-peptalk-in-front-of-your-bathroom-mirror hard)  part of the beautification process is learning to be content in your season while working on building your life and your spirit so that when you appear before your king you are ready. And he will know who you are. You won’t have to chase him or prove to him that you are his rib or his woman or his wife. He will know! Adam saw eve. She didn’t have to introduce herself. She didn’t have to force a title out of him with a knife to his throat being all kind of ratchet and level 5000 psycho. He knew she was his because when he woke up he said “This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.” (Gen 2:23)

So to all the single ladies out there (myself included 'cause I know! some of you were about to come at me): let's relax and just stop looking (I wouldn't even be able to even if I wanted because I'm exhausted). The bible says “He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the LORD.” (Prov 18:22) He will find you at the time appointed by God even if you’re at the seat 52B off to Lisbon, Spain or Japan. He will find you! Just make sure you do the work and you’re ready when it is time to appear before your king.

Until then,
xo

The Equally Yoked Series: Love Does [Not] Conquer All

Probably one of the shortest article i will write but I still thought it was worth being written. So short you will probably think « well... she could have easily said that in the previous one » but then you would have probably nailed me for writing miles long articles. Mankind... Anyway! Welcome back to the last leg (hopefully) of the equally yoked series and I think the title doesn’t get any more explicit. We’ve heard it before « love conquers all » in theory but real life can be much more complicated than cupid dressed as a spartan to conquer everything that comes its way (beautiful analogy, not very realistic) although there are a few exceptions that have made it work, some differences are sometimes difficult near impossible to conquer no matter how in love you are with each other. It might seem at the beginning that you can overcome it but then as the hormones and the delusion fade you are left facing either the most infamous question of all time or the most painful reality  which translate to "what do we do now?" Or "this is not going to work". Every relationship / mariage before being entered should have a set of rules/ agreements that define the boundaries upon which both parties are operating. Those agreements make up the code of conduct of this relationship and/or marriage. It comprises the spiritual and moral codes of conduct you are both mutually agreeing to follow as well as an understanding of what your goals and objectives (personal and as a couple) are.

 As important as being equally yoked spiritually is (speaking for me as a christian) there is also a need to be equally yoked when it comes to your values, vision and goals. The reason being that it doesn’t matter how compatible you are spiritually, if you do not agree on the values, your goals and your vision it might be a problem down the line. Some people get into relationships thinking that they can pray away the divergences that they are facing, only to turn bitter down the line when they realize that things are not turning the way they WANTED them to. Why get into a relationship with someone who doesn’t want to get married when you do? Why get married to someone who doesn’t want kids when you do? Why be in a relationship with someone who doesn’t believe in monogamous relationship when you do? As hard as it is to reroute your heart and convince it to not do all kind of level 5000 stupid choices (and believe me when I say level 5000 stupid because some choices I still regret to this day), there are conversations that you need to have with yourself first and with the person you are about to enter a journey with. Most of the time we think that with time the person we love will change and see things from our perspective and chose to embrace our vision but it rarely happens that way and people rarely change to fit the ideas and expectations we have of them. If anything, with the years, some of them get further away from that ideal we have. Love is fundamental to build a relationship or a marriage but it is not enough. It is not enough because romantic feelings may fade: you need to have other [solid] foundations over which your relationship/ marriage rests in order to make it work. You need to be honest with yourself and your partner about how important the values you carry with yourself are and if you share the same set of values. Be honest about your goal and vision and if you are not aligned decide how important it is for you. Obviously it should be important because walking in two different visions defeats the purpose of marriage or a relationship. But that is just my opinion.

All in all, before you let yourself crash in an emotional train wreck, think carefully about what you want, what is important for you. Have that conversation with yourself first and with your partner. And if you do not reach an agreement that helps define your core values and moral code of conduct for the relationship/ marriage maybe your should let them go. It doesn’t mean you are a bad person or they are. It just mean you are not a match for each other.