Marriage

Marriage 

" A wife of noble character who can find?
She is worth far more than rubies.
 Her husband has full confidence in her
and lacks nothing of value."
(Proverbs 31:10, 11) 

            Many of you have heard me discuss the benefits of a good marriage: great mutual support, care when illness arrives, and joint celebrations of the many events that occur. Yes, marriage is truly remarkable when things are well and blessed by God.

           

It has often been stated that marriage is the world's most challenging job. Let me quote from The Mystery of Marriage by Mike Mason.

 

            "Marriage, even under the best of circumstances, is a crisis, one of the major crises of life. It is a dangerous thing not to be aware of this. Whether it is a healthy, challenging, and constructive crisis or a disastrous nightmare depends largely on how willing the partners are to be changed, how malleable they are."

           

 "Crises" seems a bit extreme to me. Still, undoubtedly, marriage is a great opportunity for life fulfillment, and it certainly is not without its "opportunities" for either success or failure. A marriage blessed by God, one in which the partners have allowed God's love to grow in their relationship, is one of the world's most incredible experiences.

 

Thought for Today: We face many distractions in our daily lives; work, busy schedules, terrorism, war, deficits, and many more. Let us look at our primary relationships. Focus introspectively, up close. Focus on our loves. When things are okay in our relationships, the outside problems seem less intense.   

 

Prayer for Today: Heavenly Father, we are in a world of hurting people and crises. Wars, earthquakes, and general civil are creating havoc. It is uncomfortable. Today, we pray for love within our lives. We pray that somehow we can feel your presence in all of the fear and overcome our doubts. Somehow we pray that through your love, the fears will dissipate.
Amen