Marriage, for me, is a whole lot more than getting married to a woman. It’s about learning larger lessons in life that bring me closer to God, to divine Love, and enable me to demonstrate more of heaven here on earth.
Marriage is about commitment to learning the lessons of love together with someone you care about and who cares for you. Marriage is more than a human commitment. It’s a divine commitment, to God, to live love as God expects it to be lived in the home between husband and wife.
Marriage is not like calling up a date and asking her out to prom, and if it doesn’t go well, you don’t call again. You call someone else.
Marriage is not a “let’s see how it goes, and if it doesn’t go well, we’ll divorce. No big deal.”
Marriage is a big deal.
Marriage is not about free, unrestrained, and easy to access sex. The physical high of sex lasts a few minutes. The commitment of marriage is forever.
Marriage is not about living together. It’s comparatively easy to live together. College students in dorms live together. Each knows the arrangement is short term. About anyone can endure another person for a short period of time to reap certain benefits, knowing he can escape anytime when the thrill runs out and what he perceives as a hardship grows too great.
Marriage is not about acquiring a sympathetic shoulder to cry on or to lean on in hard times. Yep, it’s nice to have that shoulder there when feeling weak in the emotional or metaphysical knees, but sometimes that sympathetic shoulder might not be there, even in marriage. Sometimes, a spouse might be even greeted by a cold shoulder from the one they thought they could rely on.
Marriage is so much more.
Marriage is about discovering Love and living it. And I’m talking about much more than the human, feel-good, touchy-feely affection and love. Yep, that’s important, but it’s the “lite version” of the Love I’m talking about. I’m talking about God.
“God is love,” the Bible declares, and in Christian Science, the word love is capitalized to Love, meaning God. God is the Love that makes marriage work, thrive and prosper.
When Love is at the center of the affections, is honored as Master of the home, is understood to be the whole reason for marriage in the first place, the marriage it blesses is going to weather the tough storms, pull through the worst challenges, and find solutions to problems that threaten its existence. To Love, nothing is impossible, and all things are possible. With Love, the promises of marriage are fulfilled, and its heavenly blessings reaped beyond measure.
A marriage centered, anchored, and built on divine Love is one of the best earthly experiences one can possibly have.
Just getting started…
One doesn’t have to be a C/S to be happily married. In my case, way before C/S came into my life and I married for the first time when I was 24 and she 19, my attitude was that my wife was my daughter. One doesn’t divorce a daughter, but always treating her with the highest respect and encouragement no matter what her moods were. This attitude helped me deal with the toughest time in our marriage, and that was when she tried to commit suicide. For not only did I have to help her but I was pressured by her parents as well as my own to divorce her. Imagine, her parents wanted me to divorce her. Hospitals and Physiciatrists for over a year, not once did I give in or even thought of divorce, but obeying; “Through sickness or health.” THAT’S WHAT TRUE LOVE AND MARRIAGE IS ALL ABOUT!!!
Tobias, it’s shocking that your family and hers wanted you to divorce her, simply because she was suffering from depression. I’m grateful you stood strong.
This is a keeper. Thanks
Thanks Evan! My husband and I were just married in August and have been learning that God is meeting our individual and collective needs. We’re learning that human love has its limits, but that divine Love, God is what sustains us both. This series couldn’t have come at a better time. We are embracing these thoughts on marriage with joyful anticipation and childlike receptivity!