Today is our 22nd anniversary and
we bought each other new glasses and ate at Dairy Queen. The point of an
anniversary is to do something thoughtful and to spend time with each other.
This unhurried, quality time
makes a huge difference in our feelings for one another and takes the pressure
to perform or to buy expensive gifts or to eat at fancy restaurants out of the
equation on special days.
God created Eve as a helper for
Adam. Not someone to assist him with chores as he tended the garden, but
someone to share his life with and to sincerely care about him.
Our Creator could have grabbed
some dust to create Eve like He used to create Adam, but instead He took a rib
from Adam to show the intimacy that they now shared (Genesis 2:7, 23).
I used to think that God played a
huge trick on human beings, because opposites usually attract to one another,
and these differences that drew us together often cause conflict in our
marriage.
However, I have since learned
that the Lord gave Adam a special gift in Eve, just as He directs us to our
mate as His special gift to us. We each have strengths that compensate for one
another's weaknesses. Life is better together than if we lived separately.
Of course, we can marry outside
of God's will for us; but once we join as one flesh (Genesis 2:24), God will
teach us to abide with each other in peace and harmony. If we are willing to submit
to one another, and to discover and appreciate our differences, He will bless
our union.
In a marriage, two individuals
meld together as one flesh, humbling our self and submitting to each other as
co-heirs to the Kingdom of God (Ephesians 4:21).
We bear with one another's faults
and quickly forgive each other - not holding grudges or keeping a record of
slights and imperfections (Ephesians 4:2; Colossians 3:13).
We no longer place our individual
needs ahead of our union in Christ, and we learn to lovingly discuss ways to
adapt to our differing needs, making a beautiful picture that fits neatly
together as the pieces of a puzzle.
Prayer:
Father God, the devil hates
Christian marriages and families. He knows that good marriages make strong
churches, and he desires to disrupt a church family and cause rifts and strife
among us. Bitter conflict arises in a couple, a family and a church family that
appear to be unresolvable. Yet, there is always a way to work together in
harmony, if we put You as the center of our focus.
Help us to stop any viscous
downward spiral in our relationship, and teach us to discuss our differences
until we discover a mutually acceptable action or manner of thinking that will
solve the issue. Teach us to view one another as Your gift to our life, to
protect our union, and to love one another in spite of our differences.
Thought for the Day:
When God joins us together, two
become one flesh, and we care for each other as we would like to be cared for
and treat each other as we want to be treated.
