To Abstain - Or Get Married (The Case For Both) Poem by Daniel Partlow

When there isn’t real love or commitment why get serious?
Don’t be blinded by the hot haze of passion so delirious.
The consequences are serious and extremely grave.
Let not AIDS, HPV, or other STDs send you to your grave.

Let not ‘safe’ but uncommitted or abominable acts thy soul enslave.
And send not your unexpected offspring to an untimely grave.
Don’t get so inebriated you can’t control your actions.
Dulled senses are the Trojan horses for fateful attractions.

Be passionate about a whole person, with thorough love and respect.
Only then allow thy hearts and souls and flesh to connect.
Let every guy find and love purely and uniquely his good wife.
And let every gal be committed to her man for all her life.

And when you do love, don’t then turn to anger and deject.
Spurn not thy lover, unless unfaithfulness you detect.
A cycle (or a lifetime) of broken relationships begins with the first.
Therefore open your hearts to make it work, and God will quench your thirst.


For those in Relationships...

And when you have, why forestall Holy Marriage?
There is no good reason that society should so disparage.
Can we forestall ‘responsibility’ by avoiding the golden ring?
Responsibility comes with every part life and it really doesn’t sting.

Do you desire the freedom to sow more wild oats in other fields
You are likely sowing tares as well – and your own bears fruitless yields.
Or do you just have a proud urge for conquest and power?
Slow down and savour the nectar of a single fragrant flower.

Do you despise your partner, thinking that ‘They’re not the one’
Love the one you’re with that you may both grow in the glory of His sun.
Love is a choice, not some uncontrollable specter coming and leaving as it pleases
And the more you give your mate, the more it then increases.

‘I’m holding off because I’m trying to motivate partner some how’.
‘When the milk comes for free, what is the point of buying the cow? ’
Change will come as God sees fit – love your lover without condition.
It is not fair to hold your mate indefinitely in some compromised position.

Be the first to say ‘I’m sorry, ’ when your actions strife has wrought.
And repent of your wrongs – though you may think them naught.
Do you feel wrongly treated or misunderstood by your mate?
Count it to the Lord, for it’s redemptive, and be rewarded at a later date.
‘Why would we marry? No one else we know even cares to bother.’
There are many blessings in this sacrament bestowed by the father.
‘I would like to wed, but my partner refuses.’
Never dropp the issue, and discuss all the excuses.

But if their heart is hardened against a holy pact.
Let not that change your commitment – keep it all intact.
Know that in truth you have already been wed.
From the moment you were ‘together’ in the backseat or bed.

‘We are still in school, and must finish our degree.’
There is no reason you cannot do so married, let no one disagree.
‘We would, but marriage is such an expensive endeavor.’
Any minister will do it for you gratis, let not the party be a lever.

‘We would, but we haven’t resolved in which church.’
There is only one king in all the forests, be they pine, oak, palm, or birch.
Follow Christ completely, and invite the Holy Spirit in.
Trusting God together and He will lead you out of sin.

‘My parents weren’t married, or they got a divorce.’
If you have suffered these pains, you may be blown off course.
But Jesus said divorce exists only because of man’s hardened heart.
We were not meant to let our wills tear our blessed union apart.

Or, were your parents married – and yet they had their troubles?
Anger comes from hardened heats – the popping of selfish bubbles.
A better way to inoculate yourselves from this disease.
Is to submit to the will of the Father, and others try to please.

Patience, forgiveness, and a healthy dose of love.
Will prevent the gentle nudge from becoming angry push or shove.
Be committed to the other, for you two have become one.
Man and Woman – a strong cord wound together by God’s only Son.

‘We will marry, but we don’t want children yet – we want to go and dance.’
Children are a blessing – don’t wait too long or you may lose the chance.
A little family planning isn’t really a bad thing
But do not blindly assume you won’t be just as happy with little offspring.

They aren’t a shackle, but a crown – no even more!
Because they love you wholly – great happiness they store.
The loss of romance is not related to parental or marital status.
Unless you count the thrill of falling off a lattice.

My partner wants me to do that which I know is wrong.
Then simply refuse, and persuade them too with God’s wisdom strong.
Don’t become each other’s lowest common denominator.
Be each other’s ‘better half’ and loving motivator.

I found out my lover is already married and now I’m torn apart…
My mate now has left me, with broken promises off the chart…
I found out they’re abusive, addicted, and that’s just the start…
…These are the reasons we wait on passion, until we know each other’s heart.