Die to Self

Here’s the thing. I disagree with Oprah. A LOT. I’m always a little apprehensive when I tell people that because, you know, she’s Oprah. So many people admire her, but I do not. I have my reasons, but that is a whole ‘nother post (or two or three).

For the sake of today’s post, I’ll quickly share one reason: I think she says things and acts in ways that degrade marriage. And I value marriage as an important, sacred covenant. Even though I’m not married, my beliefs about marriage influence how I live my single life as well. I don’t care for the way Oprah treats this subject.

So you can imagine my surprise when I arrived home from work to find Oprah’s show with the title of “Why Did I Get Married?” on. Oprah can’t answer this question, so she interviewed some “normal” people about their marriages, and then some celebrities. I doubted that any of the four couples would offer a Christian view of marriage, but I was pleased to hear one of the men say that he “died to himself”. Oprah was SHOCKED. She commented “I have never heard anyone say they died to themselves!” Hey Oprah – ever heard of a little book called the Bible?! It’s probably more popular than The Secret. Just sayin’.

Paraphrasing what the man said next: “Yes, I die to myself so that I can esteem my partner and her needs.” Again, Oprah was shocked. She said to his spouse, “Wow, you have him trained well!” The spouse replied, “God has trained him well.”

Glad to hear at least a few comments along these lines on Oprah.