Marriage - a heroic act of self-gift

Marriage - heroic act of self-gift.

New to me.

Click (Paradox of choice) to know what I am talking about.

There's a difference between

a consumer who is looking to use a person for his own end and

a lover who is seeking to discover the beloved.

 

A consumer evaluates his options;

a lover woos his beloved.

 

A consumer considers the trade-offs of not choosing Jennifer in favor of Ashley;

a lover just looks into the eyes of his beloved and asks, "Ashley, will you marry me?"

 

A consumer is enticed then carefully calculates;

a lover is bewitched then ardently pursues.

 

A consumer shops, seeking the best deal;

a lover discerns, seeking to know the other person.

 

In courting and choosing whom to marry, we would do well to focus on the person and to remind ourselves that marriage is about giving ourselves in love to another person, and not primarily about individual fulfillment. Marriage rescues us from the paradox of choice and introduces us to the paradox of gift:

 

Give yourself,

and you find yourself.

 

Focus on your needs, your happiness, your desires,

and you get neither fulfillment of your needs, happiness, nor desires.

 

Give yourself unreservedly to your beloved,

and you discover the meaning of life.