‘This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.’ Genesis 2:24(NLT)
‘Place me like a seal over your heart, like a seal on your arm. For love is as strong as death, its jealousy as enduring as the grave. Love flashes like fire, the brightest kind of flame. Many waters cannot quench love, nor can rivers drown it. If a man tried to buy love with all his wealth, his offer would be utterly scorned.’ Song of Songs 8:6-7(NLT)
‘Just say a simple, ‘Yes, I will,’ or ‘No, I won’t.’ Anything beyond this is from the evil one.’ Matthew 5:37(NLT)
‘Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.’ 1 Corinthians 13:4-7(NLT)
‘Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love. Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace. ‘ Ephesians 4:2-3(NLT)
It is very important for us to keep our marriage vows. Marriage is a relationship that affects the entirety of our lives. First of all, it affects us as individuals. But it also affects others. Our marriage affects our extended families. It also affects our children. They say the greatest gift parents can give their children is to love one another. There is, however, even more to marriage. It builds character.
Marriage is a commitment that reflects our integrity as individuals. It is the greatest commitment that we make in life. If we are able to keep our marital commitment, it shows everyone that we are able to keep other promises and commitments that we make. However, if we sever the commitment of marriage, how can we keep the commitments in other areas of our life? If we are not able to love the closest person to us in this life, our spouse, how are we able to love other people? Staying committed to marriage shows to ourselves and others that we are a committed person, able to keep our promises.
Moreover, marriage develops our character. Becoming one with another individual is a difficult task. If it were not so, the Bible would not warn about divorce so sternly. God knew that marriage is not easy. However, it is worth it. In marriage, we need to lay down our pride. We need to learn how to work with another person. We learn to compromise in marriage. We also learn patience. In other words, marriage prepares us for other areas of life. If we are patient with our spouse, we can be patient with a difficult person in church. If we learn to stay married even when things are hard, we build a muscle of endurance that can help us to stay in difficult work environments.
Finally, marriage is a primary relationship where we can learn to view others as more important than ourselves. The secret of staying happy in marriage is a commitment to the other person’s happiness. When viewed this way, marriage can be a gift that keeps on giving. It is a commitment that teaches us how to stay committed. It is a love that teaches us how to love. It is a relationship that fortifies us for life with all its ups and downs. Marriage done God’s way is a commitment to a life-long happiness.
from I No Longer Love My Spouse