Today is my 9th wedding anniversary. Some might call it my second wedding anniversary. On March 28, 2010, my husband and I re-newed our wedding vows. Not that we weren't still bound by our original vows, we just wanted a fresh reminder.
God created the institution of marriage with the intent of it lasting a lifetime. "For richer, for poorer, for better or worse, in sickness or health, til death us do part..." Those are pretty extreme. No in between. Sick could be a cold or a terminal disease. Some days are better than others and this is not limited to mood. There are books and tapes, CD's and workshops, all with direction on various marriage subjects.
A prominent question is "when your marriage hits a bump, how are you going to react?" What is going to spill out of your heart and into your relationship? No CD in the world is going to "make it better." But God does give direction.
There are several things mentioned in Ephesians 5. The first is found in verse 22. "Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord." That is difficult in a society where the workforce employs more and more women. Particularily women in positions of power and status. The Second is found in verse 23. "For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body of which he is the Savior." Sometimes I have found myself needing this reminder. Coming from an occupation highly reliant on a chain-of-comand, I totally understand this one. Understanding is different from accepting. This one requires work for me.
Another huge issue today is the issue of respect. So many times we demonstrate respect to our boss or a co-worker much more than we do to our spouse. A second issue is that of "quality time." Our society has moved to a virtual world where "time spent" is limited to an email or text throughout the day. Daily you see couples at dinner and inevitably a spouse, will display an iphone or blackberry leaving the other party speechless. Usually the "this will just take a second" will turn into the entire dinner.
I have found it important to read material and surround myself first and foremost with the Word of God. As a couple. we also have the exact same devotional book not only to help with accountability but also to see how God speaks to us with each of us reading the same material. I have also found Gary Thomas' Sacred Marriage to be very beneficial.
We also spend alot of time together. Our discussions are deeper and I totally appreciate his input when I am preparing a lesson or reading a particular portion of scripture. Lastly, there is something to be said about your husband praying for you. This is something that we fell out of practice and it became very costly. Today, it is refreshing to have my husband pray for me. It is comforting and puts me under the security of my spiritual leader.
Marriage is not an agreement, it's not a contract, it's not a pact...it is a covenant before God. In marriage, promises may be broken, friends may fail you, money may never be enough, and time together may be ellusive. The idea is to keep your eye on the foundation of your marriage and remember that marriage is a covenant!
Happy Anniversary
Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken. Ecclesiastes 4:12
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