One in 2,268,498,381

My wife and I married in 1981. According to published statistics, and assuming that the world’s population was equally divided between male and female, I passed up 2,268,498,380 other women. Granted, many were too young for me to marry, others too old, or already married. Nevertheless, I passed on millions of eligible young women. Once I made marriage vows to my wife, all other women became ineligible.

What if I had not picked the right gal?

If you look at it that way, picking the right mate for marriage is like playing the lottery, and the odds are not in your favor.

Did you know that the Bible says far more about your responsibility in marriage than about dating and choosing a mate?

Here’s the point. Whenever you choose someone to marry, you also choose to NOT marry millions of others. You choose ONE path to the exclusion of all other paths. You close the door on all other marriage partner options.

Some young people wring their hands wondering the identity of Mr. Right or Miss Right as if God has preselected one among the many millions for that ideal match made in heaven. Yet, God does not tease us by playing hide and seek with His will. Young people will do well to pray for wisdom and use biblical guidance with common sense when choosing a mate. After choosing, there are responsibilities given in scripture for husbands and wives. That is God’s will! His will is for you is to honor your vows and embrace your responsibilities in marriage.

To choose one educational institution after high school is to reject hundreds of others. A career path is a big choice and to choose one career is to reject dozens of others at that time. To choose to buy one house is to reject all the other houses on the market. To choose one car is to reject all the other cars that are available.

If God wants you to choose one specific career path, how does He make His will known to you? There’s nothing concrete in Scripture. Do you expect to see the answer swirling about in a faint wisp of cirrus clouds? Do you just feel it? How do you really KNOW!?

God’s will for you is not a laser-focused choice of spouse, education, career, house, car or any other material thing that you might think about. If it is, then what is God’s will for dinner?! Rather, God’s will for you is to revere Him, choose allegiance to Jesus, walk in righteousness, and genuinely care for others. Those things are written in Scripture. So, that gives you freedom (and confidence) in choosing a mate, career path, house, car, dinner, etc.

The great men and women of faith in the Bible did not have a divinely chiseled out path to walk. Rather, they walked in faith seldom knowing the future, except that God had made promises. In addition, they did not look back and question their choices, but kept their eyes focused on God’s revealed will and His promises.

Young people often concern themselves with the many potential closed doors. Listen to this…

Do not say, “Why is it that the former days were better than these? For it is not from wisdom that you ask about this.”

—Ecclesiastes 7:10

That is a way of saying, “Don’t long for the good ‘ol days.” So, how much more foolish is it to long for the choices you never made?! Every choice closes some doors of opportunity. So...

Choose. Live for God. That’s His will.


Mark Stinnett

June 18, 2023