‘So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep. While the man slept, the Lord God took out one of the man’s ribs and closed up the opening. Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib, and he brought her to the man. “At last!” the man exclaimed. “This one is bone from my bone, and flesh from my flesh! She will be called ‘woman,’ because she was taken from ‘man.’” This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one. Now the man and his wife were both naked, but they felt no shame.’ Genesis 2:21-25(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)
Here it is! The final day of our twelve essential building blocks to a love that lasts! And we’re closing it out with a bit of a curveball: what is your theology of marriage?
Marriage is about so many different things – that’s why books and books and books have been written about it in the past and will be written about it in the future until Jesus returns. Marriage is a multi-faceted jewel that illuminates our world.
But when it all comes down to it, you and your spouse have to have a coherent theology of marriage. You have to understand that, like we read in our passages today, marriage is about both knowing someone and being known by them.
It’s about being completely and entirely in love with the whole person, not just the parts you like.
It’s about finding your true self in being “naked and unashamed” with one another. Knowing that, no matter what, you can be who you truly are with them and they will love you all the more for it.
That’s the kind of love God has for us – and it’s the kind of love that forms a marriage. That’s the kind of love that lasts.
from 12 Days To A Love That Lasts