Correspondence

I discovered last night that, in Jane Austen's time, correspondence between two unmarried and marriageable unrelated young people of the opposite sex was a sign that the two people were engaged. It's an interesting notion to say the least. I happened upon this information after finishing Persuasion - a book that rivals if not betters Pride and Prejudice. I have not been able to find any additional sources to verify the idea that correspondence was limited by propriety to be between engaged couples in the late 1700s and early 1800s. If it was an actual issue of propriety in the time period - and I suspect it was - what does that say about our day and age? Is it safe and prudent for such a mingling of the sexes as we have today to continue? Are we as a society and as individuals destroying the catalysts for marriage without a second thought as to the implications? The barriers and protections for women in the past were there for a reason - what are we doing to ourselves? And, perhaps most importantly, how shall I then live in a way that is wise and honoring to God and the women He has placed in my life?

This morning I led the men's Bible study at First Watch. I talked about "worry" - drawing from Matthew 6.25-34 and looking at the rest of the "Sermon on the Mount" to discover ways to keep from worrying and reasons why we don't need to worry. The study went well... and it was a much needed reminder for me. It is so easy to lose perspective and start fretting about things that ultimately don't matter. So very easy. I don't know how to listen to my own counsel. God is perfectly in control - and if He is, why do I worry?

::choose joy::