Lord willing, my wife and I will soon celebrate our fourteenth wedding anniversary. For that, we're grateful.
The past 14 years have been full, fun, enriching and challenging for us. If you're married, you can likely say the same thing. Marriage brings with it a dimension unlike any others in life.
A key to a good marriage, though, is one's perspective of it. How you view it - and how you view your mate - affects how much you enjoy and appreciate it. A reading of the second chapter of Genesis can be helpful.
In Genesis 2, we find Adam alone, tending the garden. But God says that's not good enough. He wants more for the man. He wants him to enjoy a mate.
"And the Lord God said, 'It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him,'" reads Genesis 2:18.
Genesis 2:22 adds that God formed Eve and "He brought her to the man."
There are at least two important points in this passage. The first is that God delights in marriage. He likes joining men and women together, and blessing that union.
(Singleness can be good, too; see 1 Corinthians 7).
The second point is that God brought the woman to the man. That means He provided her to the man. She's a gift to him. Likewise, the man is a gift to the woman, since marriage is something God calls "good." It's good for both people.
If that’s not your experience, I'd recommend asking God to bless your marriage, including helping you and your spouse to even believe that it's indeed "good" that you are married. You might also ask trusted close friends to pray for your marriage.
Having a good marriage takes work. But it's worth it. The key is believing that, and doing what you can - with God's help - to make it happen.
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“Two are better than one because they have a good return for their labor. For if either of them falls, the one will lift up his companion. But woe to the one who falls when there is not another to lift him up. Furthermore, if two lie down together they keep warm, but how can one be warm alone? And if one can overpower him who is alone, two can resist him. A cord of three strands is not quickly torn apart.” (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12)
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"He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the LORD." (Proverbs 18:22)
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"Come to me all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest." (Matthew 11:28)
