Your Spouse...A Gift From God

As most of you know, this weekend - the weekend of October 6-8 2012 - marks the launch of a very exciting venture in my life. The idea of becoming DEVOTED to the idea of affirming Christian marriage and the sacrament of Holy Matrimony.

 

Well, wouldn't you just know, God loves to show His Spirit in the settings and circumstances of our lives as we follow His call.

 

Let me paint you a picture of my Sunday morning as DEVOTION hit the bookshelves. First of all, I awoke to the site of a mama and papa cardinal dancing from branch to branch in the small tree out front of our bedroom window (You'll understand the symbolism when you dive into the pages of the book!).

 

From there, my husband and I prepared for church. And, oh, what a blessed, ordained service! The Scripture readings were all about marriage, and our priest, a very dynamic leader who speaks straight from the heart and soul, drew up a number of excellent points that I couldn't wait to share with you all!

 

* Your spouse is a gift from God. Let that sink in--deep--your spouse is a GIFT. A TREASURE. Imagine the context of your marriage if you focus on treating them as such!

 

* Your marriage is part of your pathway to heaven. It's an ordained and sanctified area of your life that is not entered in to like a contract. It's sacred. A covenant not between two people - but between two people and GOD. 

 

* Why is God so critical to marriage, and why are so many marriages failing these days? God is critical to marriage because marriage involves the blending of two broken, sinful people. God alone can mold, perfect and ordain the marital relationship. When marriages fail, invariably it is because one or both partners have stepped away from God's Holy Truth and Word. When you sense your marriage is on shaky ground, return to Scripture, and focus on one another. Those two actions will point the way Home.

 

* Cohabitation before marriage. Our priest said: "What right do you have to mess around with God's creation outside of His Scriptural law, precepts and truth? What right do you have to 'shop around' for a spouse and 'try them on for size' before committing your life to them? When you mess with people, you mess with God, and God never wants us to sample one another like a piece of clothing. We're flawed. We're going to fail. We're going to disappoint one another." What an eye-opening perspective! Pre-marital cohabitation makes it far too easy to walk away, or move on to 'the next best thing' if we become displeased. That's not what marriage, and commitment are all about.

 

* Therefore - we enter into marriage with all that we are - the good and the bad, the blessings and the brokenness, the gifts and the sins. From there, we commit to a depth of love that will not falter or prompt us to 'walk away' when things get tough.

 

Devotion, at its core, is meant to be Christ-centered reading and entertainment. It's a love story. It's a reconciliation story. It's a redemption story.

 

What God seems to be showing me, as Devotion grows into what He wills, is this: Marriage is God's Holy Covenant FOR LIFE, and so is marital LOVE.

 

God's love and blessings to you ~ and thanks for sharing the journey!

 

Marianne