Marriage

“Give honor to marriage, and remain faithful to one another in marriage. God will surely judge people who are immoral and those who commit adultery.”

Hebrews 13:4 NLT

http://bible.com/116/heb.13.4.nlt

I love my wife. I can't even imagine living my life without her. For 37 years we have shared our lives. It's been an amazing life of love, friendship, and family. 

I truly honor marriage and all it stands for. For the last several years, the term marriage has been much maligned. The definition of marriage has morphed into something God never intended. It used to mean the Union of man and woman in a commitment of love, friendship, and family. I'm not here to condemn those that have twisted this honorable institution. I'm not to judge. God will.

My sadness is not how much people dishonor the true definition of marriage. My sadness is that they will never know the real joy of marriage. They can try to imitate true marriage with their partner, but God designed man and woman to be together for a reason. When we do marriage correctly, when we honor marriage, no other "union" can match it. The special intimacy between a man and a woman can't be duplicated. It's not just about sexual intimacy, although that is part of it, it's about a physical, spiritual, and mental  bonding designed by God because of our unique differences. It's a deeper kind of love. Critics will say they CAN match the union of man and wife with a different kind of "family". I just disagree! It's kind of funny that these "new families"  try to copy everything that a man and woman can do naturally. Why try to settle for a facsimile? Why not do the real thing?

I'm not going to criticize people who want to make long term commitments to each other. They can call it marriage if they want. But, It's not the same. Relationships of all kinds are valuable in life. Special relationships men to men and woman to woman can be wonderful. But, the eternal relationship between a man and a woman, set up since the inception of life on this planet, is a relationship like no other. It can't be duplicated, it can't be equalled. I am forever honored that God has brought my wife and I together. He brought us together and no man can separate us.

My advice, don't settle for something less than the perfect design of the creator of the universe. The God that created the heavens and the earth also created man and woman to be together in marriage.

Early Valentines Day verse!

It’s better to have a partner than go it alone. Share the work, share the wealth. And if one falls down, the other helps, But if there’s no one to help, tough! (Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 MSG)

I have been married for over 36 years. I have great partner. I can't imagine life on my own. I know people do it and frankly I would survive, but God brought us together. Our kids have been out of the house for quite a few years and I still greatly enjoy our time together, especially lazy Saturday afternoons, summer vacations, spring break, or any other time we get to spend away from the distractions of this world.

Valentines is a few days away, but these verses reminded me of the day we celebrate the special relationships in our lives. There is no more important relationship than the one I have with my wife. It's more than love. We are one. We are a partnership. We share the work, we share the wealth. If one falls down, the other helps. In nearly 37 years of marriage I have never thought a moment about being without her. I am a blessed man.

Lord I praise you for my wondeful wife. I praise you for the great plan of marriage. It is a key part of life that is meant to be shared through you. I thank you for guiding us through 37 years. I thank you for the true love that has grown between us. Thank you Lord for this great life you have granted me and my family. Amen!

Thanks Steph, you're amazing!

1 Corinthians 7

 ¹⁰ To the married I give this command (not I, but the Lord): A wife must not separate from her husband. ¹¹ But if she does, she must remain unmarried or else be reconciled to her husband. And a husband must not divorce his wife.

I can't imagine not being married to my great wife. I'm not just saying that for bonus points. (LOL!) Stephanie and I have been married for over 33 years. I can truly say we have never even considered separating or divorcing. It hasn't even been a "hint" of a thought. Not that we haven't had our disagreements, we have. Not that our lives have been a Utopia, it hasn't. But we made a commitment to each other. We Love each other and have grown together. Our lives have been an adventure ordained by God and it's God that has kept us together.

I just don't understand how people can make commitments and then just discard them so easily. Divorce and separation are more the norm than the exception in our society. When things don't go well, when rough patches come up, it is easy to just give up and start over. It's easy to just walk away. Waling away and giving up seldom solves the problem. I have noticed that the rougher my life gets, the more I value my great wife. Marriage is hard work. It's give and take. It's a joint venture between two people who love each other and say they are willing to work to follow through with the lifetime commitment. 

Those that have stuck with it, reap rewards that are amazing. I Love my wife and enjoy handling the challenges we face together. I can't imagine going through life without her. Thank you God for blessing me with a wonderful wife. Thank Steph, you're amazing!