God Is The Third Partner
It was the day I had looked forward to for a long time. After nearly six years of dating and waiting, the special day finally arrived – our wedding day! It wasn’t an elaborate wedding by today’s standards, but it was beautiful and special to us. We stood before my minister, family and friends, and promised to love one another and stay committed to each other for the rest of our lives. We had no idea what the future held, and at that particular time we didn’t care. We just knew we wanted to be together.
Having just celebrated our 52nd wedding anniversary, I think I qualify to give some advice to young couples who are contemplating marriage or those who are in the first few years of their marriage.
- Be prepared when you marry. What I mean by that is for you to be ready for the adult life of jobs, housing, bills, children who may come along, and all the other things that go along with “adulting.” Be sure you both are prepared for this. You won’t be dating like you have been but will be responsible for so much more in life. Marriage is more than just being able to sleep in the same bed.
- Make sure you communicate well with one another. Communication is a two-way street – talking and listening. The talking part is very important, but the listening part is even more important because we must hear what our partner is saying. Sometimes we need to listen with our eyes and not just our ears. Really look at the person you love and see what his/her face and body language is saying. The only way to settle any disagreements that come (and they will come) is to sit in a quiet place and discuss the problem. However, don’t forget to talk about the good things in your life. They are just as important to share with each other.
- Really know the person you are preparing to marry or have married. That seems silly to a lot of people. Of course, you know the person. After all, you have been dating them for some time! But do you really know who they are and how they feel about things in life? I spoke with a young married woman one time who admitted to me that she didn’t find out that her husband was an atheist until after they were married. She hadn’t taken the time to talk seriously about the things in life that make a difference in a marriage.
- Understand the commitment you are making in life. Marriage is a covenant relationship and is meant to last until one of you passes from this life. I find it remarkable that people can make a commitment to a job, or a club, or a team, and place it above a commitment to God. However, when the new wears off the marriage and those problems come into your relationship, your commitment to your wife/husband goes by the wayside. A life-time commitment is made the day you say “I do.”
- Keep marriage sacred. Sacred simply means connected with God. In this day and time so many people don’t even believe marriage is necessary. They just “move in together” and find it easy to separate if they change their minds about their relationship. How sad to have such a weak foundation. For marriage to survive today, God and His Word must be the foundation upon which you stand. Marriage is sacred and having God as the third partner in your marriage is necessary for a strong marriage. The wise man Solomon said in Ecclesiastes 4:12 “…a threefold cord is not quickly broken.”
Marriage is a gift from God, and it is my prayer that all who are married and those planning to marry can benefit from these words I have written.
“Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous” (Heb. 13:4).
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AUTHOR: Donna Faughn
