Resources/Articles
Marriage Cement
For I would have you know how greatly I strive for you...that their hearts may be comforted, they being knit together in love, and unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding, that they may know the mystery of God, even Christ...
Colossians 2:1,2
True partnership in marriage is a cement - “knit together.” It is as couples specifically verbalize their needs for each other. While at some point in time, between the walk down the wedding aisle and the first, second, or fifth anniversary, a thief often makes off with our mutual admission of interdependence. Is it not ironic that marriage, the ultimate declaration of one person’s dependence on another, so often winds up being an accomplice to the thief?
Think back to those early days of romance and discovery. You needed each other then, and you still do. You need her for a balanced and truthful view of yourself. You need him for a full-color view of life since he looks at life through a different set of lenses.
Often during marriage, you begin looking at your differences as hindrances rather than benefits. You are a broader person because of those differences. Why try to change your mate when you NEED these differences?
You need her to believe in you when others will not and cannot. She is your mirror of expectancy, praise, and belief that you are a significant part of her life. You need him to multiply your joys, secure your life, share your tears, and add his faith in God to yours.
You need each other to raise healthy, spiritual children. Two people temper one another’s weaknesses, complement each other’s blind spots, and help accentuate one another’s strong points as they raise children together.
Beware of living independently of one another. Sometimes busy people build their lives around “his” thing or “her” thing, only to find years later they are alone. Each spouse is then taken captive by selfishness and a failure to take risks. They live independently of the person God wants them to be for their spouse to share life with. You really do need your mate. God wants you to have each other. Do what you can to keep yourselves cemented (Matthew 19:6).
