What fellowship can Light have with Darkness?

A couple years ago I hung out with a group of high school girls for bible study. I knew what they would be facing in their coming years as young adults, and there were several subjects that I kept coming back to in hopes of steering them in the right direction. We talked about it often, and they always had great questions: "Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever?" II Corinthians 6:14-16.

How I pray that every young Christian could grasp this commandment. If only they could see that a relationship with an unbeliever will only cause separation and heartache. Why can't they see it? A lifetime of frustration and heartache will certainly follow. Think about the following:

• a believer will most certainly be going to church alone
• a believer will be making friends with other Christians, of which their spouse will not relate
• a believer, when faced with a crisis, will seek their Father's comfort and direction, of which the spouse will call foolish and not participate
• a believer will want their children to go to church, and again the spouse stays home, creating a division within their family and constant questions and confusion to the children
• a believer has values based on their beliefs of God and his Word, while an unbeliever lives by the standards of this world
• a believer will celebrate the true meaning of Christmas and Easter(alone), while an unbeliever will want to celebrate Santa and the Easter Bunny
• a believer & family will need the spiritual leadership of a Godly man, but will never get it
• a believer will be constantly torn between choosing their spouse or their God

My heart aches for those who don't see the merit in this command. Over and over in the Old Testament God told the children of Israel to not co-mingle or inter-marry with those from foreign lands. In their disobedience, they fell away from God and angered him many times as they began to worship other idols because they were yoked with unbelievers.

I ask that if you are a parent, don't let this be a one-time conversation you have with your children. Keep discussing it, show them examples, find teachable moments to bring this truth home. And above all else, pray, pray and pray some more that they will obey this command and settle for nothing less than a Godly spouse. Their future depends on it.