Willingly amputate?

I started writing this post almost a year ago. I haven't published it until now because I felt like it needed some revising so here goes; Marriage was designed by God as extremely important, it should be highly valued and should be kept beautiful because it represents the unconditional love God has toward us, his image bearers.

After talking about marriage as beautiful it might seem strange to have given this post such a strange title. I guess amputation and marriage don't really have a clear connection but in my mind they do. A few times over the last week or so (or year) I have been talking to friends or listening to someone talk about marriage. While we were talking I realized just how literally I take the verse from Genesis 2:24 For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife; and they shall become ONE flesh. (see also Mark 10:7-9) I realized that most times I feel like my husband and I ARE one. Our names are usually said together. When people think about one of us, they immediately think of the other. Marriage partners are like two peas in a pod. They are individuals but they belong together because they are housed in the same "pod". Okay now I'm getting to the amputation connection. If we are one flesh in God's eyes, is it okay to divorce? In Mark 10:9 it says, "What therefore God has joined together, let NO man separate." Does God really mean what He says? Are these words truth or just empty rhetoric? Going back to the pea pod example. If we take the two peas out of their pod, they are no longer whole as a pea pod. They are just two little peas. I see divorce as willingly amputating a part of our self. God has brought two people together or allowed them to marry, thus, they should stay married. "...for better or for worse".

Here is a link to an interesting article on the damage divorce has caused our country.


for HIS glory!

For better, for worse

Can't you just see the beautiful bride and the adoring groom gazing into each others' eyes:

Will you love him/her, comfort him/her, honor and keep him/her, in sickness and in health, for richer, for poorer, for better, for WORSE, in sadness and in joy, to cherish and continually bestow upon him your heart’s deepest devotion, forsaking all others, keep yourself only unto him as long as you both shall live?

Worse is a word I glossed over when I got married. It means, "Further from standard; less desirable or satisfactory." Now when I hear worse I think of "something bad, something undesirable." Is that what you think of? What does worse mean to you? When many of us decide to get married do we just think of the better and assume there won't be the worse? I know I wasn't ready for anything but the better. When my husband and I got married I truly believed that we would live happily ever after just like all of the maidens in the fairy tales. Surprisingly (to me and I think my husband too) we didn't. We had A LOT of immaturity to work through. There were a lot of tears, screaming and fighting but by God's grace things are amazing now(for the moment). We constantly have to strive for positive communication but God is now our Rock.

Trials will still come for my marriage and for others. How will we choose to respond?

What is God's example in our relationship with Him? When things get worse (we betray him, ignore him, disrespect him or curse him) God stays right by our side. He doesn't pack His bags and say, "I didn't sign up for this." He is there for the long haul. I pray He gives us the strength to love like He loves us.

Joshua 1:5b I will not fail you or forsake you. NASB
see also Deut 31:6, 7 and Heb 13 for further study