Marriage was not some culture’s good idea or the government’s; it was God’s idea. God created this thing we call holy matrimony. From the beginning He said, “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.” (Genesis 2:24)
If God gives us a gift, it is astounding, inexpressibly perfect and sanctified. Marriage is a generous and holy gift from God. Marriage is a sanctuary of God’s goodness to you and to me. Nothing else in life can match it. It produces family, another gift from God and the backbone of every culture on earth. It produces love and at the same time it produces a mirror to show us ourselves.
Daily we come face to face with our selfishness, our lack of humility, our need for control, and our uncontrolled emotions. And that’s why marriage helps to sanctify and purify our hearts. It is a process of maturation and it highlights the real us!
At the same time, it’s a safe place. When love is at the center of this union judgment is not, critical spirits are not, and mean-spirited words diminish. Marriage is a place of growth because iron sharpens iron (Proverbs 27:17). Marriage is a place of no secrets and nothing hidden so that truth and honesty become our integral position of oneness.
Change is challenging, but when God is at the center and our mate is praying with us and supporting us in that change, we find comfort. Marriage is transformational to our lives, our families and our futures. Most persons in our lives will not be truthful enough to confront our self-righteousness, but God gave us a spouse to reflect His truth, His love and His healing.
Marriage helps us to admit we are wrong and that we need forgiveness. Marriage teaches us kindness, patience, gentleness and how to love sacrificially. It provokes a servant’s heart and forces communication to resolve issues. Marriage is a sanctifier that God uses to make us more like Him.
Marriage is a daily opportunity to become more like the Creator of marriage, but it’s our decision to take up that challenge!
