Marriage Is For Life

Marriage Is For Life

 

          “What God has joined together let no man put asunder”. Words such as this are spoken at every marriage ceremony. Then why are there so few lasting marriages? What has happened to the great American institution of marriage?

          Is the institution of marriage itself to blame? Can it be because people live longer? In time their ideas and ideals change? Maybe it is too much to expect one man to stay in love for an entire lifetime with only one woman? Animals change partners with the seasons, why not men?

          Are women too independent to be obedient to one man for the rest of her life? Today a female can do any job her male counterpart used to consider a man’s job. Why should the woman be expected to be subservient to a male?

          Actually, in a good marriage there is no forced obedience nor does one feel tied down or repressed. Unfortunately there are few good marriages. We can’t blame today’s hectic society, although, it would be easier if we could. Moses, back in Bible times, was forced to give his people a writ of divorce because of their refusal to honor the terms of the marriage contract.

          I have often heard of “the marriage made in heaven,” but I must admit that I have not seen one. It would be logical to assume that if God wants the human race to marry and produce children; and if the first woman was made from the rib of the man; that every man would have one woman made for him alone. His very own which no other man could claim. Every woman would be happy with the one man that she is a part of and whom, by reason of his donation of a rib, is responsible for her very being. This would be the perfect marriage…if…that was the way it was supposed to be.

          The state of matrimony has become a bad joke. The flag, apple pie, and motherhood don’t get the respect that they once did. Maybe the reason for this is because the average person is not as gullible as the legendary ’hick farmer’ once was. We are not as ready to accept the old worn out values that were good enough for our grandparents and parents. We, the intellectual and intelligent generation, want the new and improved in our love life as well as our toothpaste and soap powder. And why not?

          There is nothing wrong in wanting the very best that life has to offer. We have seen firsthand the misery caused when two people stay together only for the sake of the children. At best they only make themselves miserable, but usually it is the children that suffer. The same children that now want more from their own marriages then an accumulation of anniversaries.

           Unfortunately they expect too much. You can only get back from anything what you put into it and that includes marriage. Most of us don’t want to work at a loving relationship. We expect a guarantee with the wedding ring. At the first sign of trouble we want to jump ship.

          Our parents were wrong to suffer in a loveless marriage because it was safer than making a life on their own. Our generation is just as wrong to give up on a union without giving the storm time to blow out. Angry words flow easily in the heat of an argument. It doesn’t necessarily follow that the marriage isn’t worth saving. Even when the argument was foolish and pointless. Arguments are generally pointless, they don’t prove who is right or wrong. They only serve to drive a wedge between the parties involved. And who is going to be the first to apologize?

          Marriage is the highest form of protection for the human race. The father works to support the family. The mother works for the mental health and stability of the family. The problem is: with both parents working a full time job, just to pay government taxes, there is hardly time left for working on a lasting, happy. loving family unit.

          We used to say, “First comes love, then comes marriage, then here comes Jane with a baby carriage.” What happened to the order of that little rhyme? It doesn’t seem very important to be married to have sex or children today. Don’t you believe it!

          Society can overlook sex on request; unwed motherhood; divorce on demand and all of the evils that these bring. But, that doesn’t mean it isn’t sin and won’t have to be accounted for.

          Love is a four letter word that has become confused with sex. Sex and love can be two separate ideas. Which brings up an interesting point. Which did God make most important? Love or sex? It is nice when you do; but it is not a requirement to love the person you have sex with. But, you do need sex to have the children that marriage may produce. Really?

          Not anymore. Artificial insemination and soon cloning make the sex act between a man (the dad) and the woman (the mother) almost obsolete. One man can be a dad to the children of several women he has never met.

          We need to reevaluate our long held beliefs on love, marriage, and family. We need to do an in depth study on what exactly God had in Mind when He created the human race. 

          “And out of the ground Jehovah God formed every beast of the field, and every bird of the heavens; and brought them unto the man to see what he would call them; and whatever the man called every living creature, that was the name thereof.” Gen 2:19. This would suggest that God not only loved the creation He had formed, but that He also respected him enough to give him free will.

          The Adam and Eve story, where dust and ribs were the material used to recreate, could be seen as saying women are second best.

          Did God create Adam; then Eve; and ever after need their union to replenish the human race? Not likely. God is changeless. Once God has enacted a law, it stays a law forever. Marriage should not be just the union of two flawed personalities. Faults are thick where love is thin. Wedded bliss is natural for two individuals demonstrating the joy of reflecting their Maker.

          To fully understand God’s plan we must start at the very beginning. Study Gen.1:1 where God formed the heavens, the earth, and all creatures from Spirit: thought. The plant was formed before it was planted; the light shone before the sun appeared; God thought and a completely spiritual creation was formed.

          Gen 1:27 The Father put the characteristic of both the male and female in each representative of Himself. Because of this no man lacks the loving nature of a female; no woman lacks the moral strength of a mature male. Therefore, every individual possesses a nature beyond reproach; their perfect spiritual selfhood, this includes your spouse.

          God created man in His image and likeness, and man, not to be outdone, returned the compliment. Man sees God as being like himself, which is a false impression. God neither puts souls in matter nor resides in matter Himself. Centuries of mortal belief may affect the outcome of your marriage, but it will never change Truth.

          When your serious study reveals to you the spiritual reality; you will know that marriage gives an opportunity to teach the young by example the meaning of a life lived by law. Happiness is not the absence of problems, but the ability to deal with them. An ability that comes easily on the spiritual level.

          God’s language of Love speaks to us all. “Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything in perfect harmony.” Colossians 3:14

 

          1,358 words                      Loretta Ellen Edwards