Marriage and Life

Some things about marriage I have expressed over the past days:

The prophet Amos instructs us that as it is wrong to yoke an ox with a donkey, so it is wrong to yoke believers to non-believers.  Therefore, a guiding principle in determining who one should marry is “Are they both believers or both non-believers in Jesus?”  If one is one and the other is not, then they aren’t to marry.

The second principle is to not yoke two horses together when one is a Belgium and the other is a pony.  You can imagine the problem with this hitch.  So, just because they are both believers, does not mean they should be married.  Believers can be RINOs and Tea Party people, they can be Calvinists and Arminians, they can be preterists and Jerusalem passionate, they can be cessationists and charismatics, complementarian and egalitarian, and other near opposites.  So just because both proclaim and show faith, they may not be well-fitted for marriage.

When Abraham sent his servant, Eliezer, to fetch a wife for his son, Isaac, the two principles were in play.  Abraham demanded that the girl be from their family (in our case, the family of believers) and secondly that she was to come to Isaac, not he go to her (she to have the same concept of family leadership).

I promote these two ideas in another way, that is, as a book.  The two wanting to be married need to be of the same book of guiding principles (the Bible, book of Mormon, Origin of the Species, The Cosmos, or other options).  Furthermore, they need to be in the same chapter – have similar beliefs about how life and marriage work out.

They do not have to be on the same page!  The same page idea is that there is this perfect one out there that must be found and if this one is not perfect, then ditch this marriage and seek again for God’s perfect will.  In fact, if both are on the same page it is likely boring and also somewhat dangerous, for both see nearly all things exactly the same and there is not the counter point or variation presented needed to escape troubles.

One more point about marriage:  this concerns love.  We are not called to marry the one we love, we are commanded to love the one we marry.  Too often the popular adage, “We fell in love” is used as the glue or foundation for a marriage – it is a bad foundation for a marriage for you can also “fall out of love” and then comes divorce.

The foundation for marriage is a commitment (vows) to serve one another through all the events of life as a team, thus showing others how grace and mercy work.  Good marriage is about grasping life values and passing them on to the next generation.  Marriage is about helping one another escape the temptations of self and pride and helping others do the same.  Marriage is about respect, honor, love and thus sacrifice and service – showing society how to live together – the fabric necessary for a good society.

Sent earlier this morning about today:
Today marks the completion of 69 years of drawing air.  I am thankful for my mother who carried me and then carried me and then carried me (in the womb, in her arms, to the Lord in prayer).  I am thankful for a father who loved me, disciplined me, and educated me.  I am  thankful for Janet, my kids and their families, for fellow Christians who have enriched me, friends, and most of all for my God.  I am richly blessed by all the gifts in my life.