When they said, “It’s easy to get married than to stay married,” they were not kidding. Take it from us, whose marriage is turning 15 in less than two weeks!
Staying married is such a challenge in this “me-centered” world. When communication breaks down, resentment snowballs, what used to spark fondness in your heart for your spouse has now become the very thing that annoys you. That’s marriage for most of us folks.
God is the author of marriage. He also knew beforehand that apart from Him, building a harmonious partnership, let alone a family, will pose a great challenge to anyone who ever shifts status. Our hearts long for intimacy and while our design is to complement each other, we are also such imperfect creatures coming in a relationship from entirely different families of origin.
Marriage is hard work. Such profound parallelism of Jesus referring Himself as the Bridegroom and the church being the Bride, give us such deep appreciation of how He models his love for His bride. God’s purpose for marriage goes beyond our personal happiness rather, the constant giving of oneself away – an intentional “united front” of both husband and wife.
To resolve to give yourself to your spouse CONSTANTLY is the perfect gift you can give this Christmas. And we all know that “we can give without loving but we cannot love without giving,” a meaningful gift that your spouse will appreciate, will be a good idea. If she’s into vintage jewelry, then go get her one. This is particularly important if your spouse’s love language is “receiving gifts.” Making sure not to miss a special occasion is a small price to pay to find your way to your spouse’s heart.
That said, may we be led to refocus this Christmas. It will be in being centered in the very Reason why there was this Season to begin with, that will make the whole difference in how we operate in our marriage and our relationships beyond.
