Your soul-mate

At the resurrection people will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven (Matthew 22:30).

Have you found your ‘soul-mate’? Do you believe that somewhere in this world, there is a soul that will fit together perfectly with yours? Do you believe that souls come in matching sets, each complementing the other’s strengths and compensating for the other’s weaknesses?

If you do believe in soul-mates, I apologize for having to burst your bubble, but Jesus’ words in Matthew contradict the whole notion of souls being paired together forever. While speaking about the new unending life that we can look forward to following Judgement Day, our Lord says: At the resurrection people will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven. Jesus is clear. Marriage is for this life only—the unique bond of matrimony ends with the grave.

The notion of soul-mates is actually destructive for marriages. Think about it. No one is perfect; the Bible reminds us that we all are sinners. Since we are all sinners, every marriage will go through times when the sins of one spouse make the other person miserable. The Christian should not be surprised when this happens; instead, he or she knows that Jesus equips us to offer forgiveness and continued love. Peter writes, love covers over a multitude of sins (1 Peter 4:8).

But what of the person who hopes for a soul-mate? During a period of disillusionment, she might conclude that the man she married isn’t really her soul-mate—she made a mistake and married the wrong person. Since her soul-mate is still out there somewhere, the solution is obvious—she needs to free herself from this marriage and resume her search. Do you see how the belief in soul-mates can break up marriages?

And yet, in a sense each of us does have a soul-mate—His name is Jesus. A classic old hymn begins with the words, "Jesus, lover of my soul." Jesus is the only one who is a perfect match for us. Only He can make us shine at our full potential; only He can compensate for our inadequacies. Only He can love us perfectly and completely. Jesus is the lover of your soul—He proved it by going to the cross for you, so that your sins could be forgiven and you could live with Him eternally. Only Jesus deserves the title ‘soul-mate.’