Then life happens.
Chores, bills, misunderstandings, child-rearing, work, in-laws, unemployment, sickness, disagreements, hurts, flesh, and the list goes on. And we forget that we promised to stick through the worse. ‘Til death do us part becomes 'til I can’t take it anymore".
Marriage is hard work. But somehow we are lulled into believing that marriage is one big romantic date. Hollywood with its own fragile marriages paints us a misleading picture. “It’s all wonderful”. And if the relationship is not nearly perfect, its time to get out and on to someone else.
What must God feel?
Marriage was and is God’s idea. We can’t redefine it, restructure it or revise it. His intent was that we would never ever give up on one another or His ability to keep us. He intended one spouse for a lifetime. It was not in his plans for us to toss one another aside. His heart is that two flawed individuals would come together loving, forgiving and holding on to one another past the hurts and imperfections.
He showed us how to love through his covenant with his infidel of a bride. She went whoring after other gods. He kept calling her into his arms. She spurned his advances. She hurled accusations and wounded him physically and emotionally. With the taste of betrayal in his mouth, he yet, cried, “Father forgive her..." And He gave up all he had to keep her in covenant with Himself.
When a couple decides to marry, the two initiate a covenant between themselves and God. But when the inevitable storms come into our marriages, we don’t do our part. We let go. And the covenant we made with God is broken. We unwittingly serve God divorce papers. And He loses glory out of another relationship.
Let’s labor to make our marriages work. Too much is at stake: our love, our children, our word. The Bible admonishes, "When you vow a vow defer not to pay it". We made a promise to God to hold on to our families. We must get serious about keeping our covenant.
We are so blessed that God doesn’t divorce us. We are certainly worthy of it. Yet, He continues to love and keep relationship with us despite our many failings.
