I'm just starting a new book called Sacred Marriage by Gary Thomas. The front cover has a sentence under the title that reads: " What if God designed marriage to make us holy more than to make us happy?" Wow, that got my attention. In the first chapter the author goes on to say the following:
We're not after simple answers- three steps to more intimate communication, six steps to a more exciting love life- because this isn't a book that seeks to tell you how to have a happier marriage. This is a book that looks at how we can use the challenges, joys, struggles, and celebrations of marriage to draw closer to God and to grow in Christian character. pg. 12
Have you thought about why God created marriage? Ever asked yourself why you chose to get married? I think as women we are sometimes guilty of viewing everything through a filter of emotions. When we think of love we think of romantic love most of the time. When those "good feelings" go away or are squelched because of difficulties we can equate that with love. Is romantic love the measurement of success for a marriage? It's easy for us to get so caught up in that kind of mentality. It's what all the fairy tales tell us... And they lived happily ever after..... Well, what if it's not so happily ever after- what then? We are called to move beyond fairy tales and live a life grounded in reality- God's reality. Maybe I don't love my spouse like I should because in reality I don't love my God like I should.
God uses the imagery of a marietal relationship throughout His word in referring to His relationship with us. Maybe through marriage we are called to learn how to live a selfless life. Paul exalts us in 2 Corinthians 5:15 to do just that: “ Those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.” It’s such a tug of war sometimes between my desire for my own selfish wants and serving my spouse sacrificially. I fail. A lot. But then so does he. So we are learning to extend grace to each other and move forward. Hopefully with each day having a little more of “me” chipped away to reveal what God designed for me to be. Our marriages are to be a reflection of Christ’s sacrificial love for us. That’s important not just as a witness outside the home but for inside the home too. Our children get their first glimpses of love from watching us as husband and wife- how we interact with each other. That's a sobering thought.
Just some thoughts this morning......
Just some thoughts this morning......
