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The Glory of a Christian Marriage
Recently in the course of my job as a church secretary, I had to type out the traditional marriage vows for a wedding. It was a very thought provoking job as I could not help but reflect on my own wedding vows that I took almost 20 years ago.
When I was a young, blushing bride, at my wedding ceremony, although I certainly meant my wedding vows, I was a bit too young and excited over the wedding to "digest" them. Now as the years and the experiences of marriage have grown, these vows brought to life the depth of commitment and godly love between a husband and wife.
Will you take this man to be your wedded husband, to live together in the holy estate of matrimony?
Will you love him,
honor and keep him,
in sickness and in health; and
forsaking all others keep yourself only unto him,
so long as you both shall live?
"I Will" flows so easily out of a young bride's mouth while visions of marital bliss float around through her head. But all too soon, arises the situations where the meaning behind those vows kicks in:
Will you love him when he is tired, grumpy, when he is not doting to your needs and on occasion - unlovable?
Will you honor him - when you don't agree with him on an issue? When his decision is not what the same thing you were thinking?
Will you keep him - when his needs must come before your needs? Will you seek to keep him nurtured and loved?
In sickness and in health - through illnesses which you could sometimes handle better(!), nursing him through illnesses, hurts, aches, etc.
Forsaking all others, - naturally this means all other "boyfriends", but putting him before all relationships as he should be the highest human (except for God) relationship we have.
When I was a young, blushing bride, at my wedding ceremony, although I certainly meant my wedding vows, I was a bit too young and excited over the wedding to "digest" them. Now as the years and the experiences of marriage have grown, these vows brought to life the depth of commitment and godly love between a husband and wife.
Will you take this man to be your wedded husband, to live together in the holy estate of matrimony?
Will you love him,
honor and keep him,
in sickness and in health; and
forsaking all others keep yourself only unto him,
so long as you both shall live?
"I Will" flows so easily out of a young bride's mouth while visions of marital bliss float around through her head. But all too soon, arises the situations where the meaning behind those vows kicks in:
Will you love him when he is tired, grumpy, when he is not doting to your needs and on occasion - unlovable?
Will you honor him - when you don't agree with him on an issue? When his decision is not what the same thing you were thinking?
Will you keep him - when his needs must come before your needs? Will you seek to keep him nurtured and loved?
In sickness and in health - through illnesses which you could sometimes handle better(!), nursing him through illnesses, hurts, aches, etc.
Forsaking all others, - naturally this means all other "boyfriends", but putting him before all relationships as he should be the highest human (except for God) relationship we have.
The glory of Christian marriage is when the unwavering answer is YES! Is it a struggle? YES! It is easy to put the needs and desires of others before ourselves - NO! But as we honor our husbands in the spirit of humility and meekness, God fills our heart with the grace and the strength to continue on deeper. When we consistently say "no" to selfish desires, or to demanding our own way, God's love fills our heart with a love that comes from Him and enables us to love our husbands deeply and completely. This love changes and transforms our marriage. By walking in obedience to His ways, there is abundant joy, contentment and fulfillment. The glory of Christian marriage is placing God first, allowing Him to direct our words and actions. This is not a way out of discomfort or trials, but engaging God's power to work through us when the trying times come.
Marriage is God's design between a man and a woman and by following His lead, marriage brings the most secure, fulfilling and joyous union ever. That is the glory of Christian marriage.
Marriage is God's design between a man and a woman and by following His lead, marriage brings the most secure, fulfilling and joyous union ever. That is the glory of Christian marriage.
Such a touching post, bless you.
ReplyDeleteBeautifully said! I love this: The glory of Christian marriage is placing God first, allowing Him to direct our words and actions. This is not a way out of discomfort or trials, but engaging God's power to work through us when the trying times come.
ReplyDeleteThanks for joining us for Marriage Monday today, Joyfull.
Blessings, e-Mom :~D
This is SO well put! I never expected that after only a little over a year of marriage that my then 40 year old husband would have to undergo a total right hip replacement. Boy---was my sorry flesh ever "put out" at the tought that my new marriage was suddenly going to be put on hold! Goodness...did God ever give me a swift kick--and gracious, was I ever humbled--even more so that probably what Rob was. Our God is full of life lessons when it comes to our vows!
ReplyDeleteThank you for the wisdom of your post!
Joyfull, this was such a wonderful post. Lots of good things to digest.
ReplyDeleteOn my wedding day, I didn't fully understand the depth of my vows, but over the last 7 years, God has really shown me how to bring those vows to life and make them more than words.
I especially like this passage of your post: When we consistently say "no" to selfish desires, or to demanding our own way, God's love fills our heart with a love that comes from Him and enables us to love our husbands deeply and completely. This love changes and transforms our marriage.
God's plan for marriage is glorious, but we need to be willing to yield to Him in order to see its full beauty.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts. As always, I enjoyed my visit today.
Beautiful reflections. Thank you for sharing.
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