Making Your Marriage Airtight
The sexually noxious environment in which we live is largely fueled today by the mass media, music industry, and social networks. Through these powerful avenues of communication, many individuals, including married couples, are often being encouraged to embrace a path of immorality. Faithfulness to one’s married partner very often gets a thumbs-down from influential “models” who openly portray how a married partner can cheat on his or her spouse and still remain “successful” in the eyes of society. The effects on the minds and behavior of both singles and married couples are captured in the several forms of separations, and numerous social, mental, emotional, medical and physical problems which are too wide and troubling to measure.
At age sixteen, I committed my life to God. At that young age I made a decision that should I marry, I will be a “one-eye man”. I have said to my wife that my first loyalty is not to her but to God. I strongly believe that if I can be unreservedly committed to God by following His principles for wholesome living, I can remain faithful to my wife until death separates us. Being faithful to God has enabled me to stay committed to my wife for the length of time we have been married and I do not intend to change that course of action no matter what popular culture suggests. My devotion to God and my wife has not been without many temptations over the years, but I have proven that the same God who designed the institution of marriage has given me the resources necessary to remain committed to my wife.
Before making a promise to marry your prospective spouse, there must first be an understanding of the gravity of the action you are taking. You must purpose to live a life of integrity, and habitually develop a genuine love for your partner so that nurturing the character trait of commitment becomes a great possibility before marriage. Faithfulness to your future married partner does not leave any space opened for third parties, but keeps an airtight union that fosters continuous harmony and sincere affection for each other.
This level of commitment should go a step further where you see marriage as a covenant relationship into which you enter. In a covenant relationship, communication is at its highest level and companionship finds its greatest pleasure and peace. In this covenant bond, the couple does not focus primarily on a short-term union but understand the value of a life-long journey of deep sharing, mutual respect and growing intimacy. The bond of marriage in a covenant relationship therefore is not based on love first out of the emotions, although that is involved, but more so out of the will. The basis for solid marriage relations originates out of a decision to do so and not out of a feeling to do so. If your marriage is based on feelings, then you are in for a frustrating and fragile union that will only last as long as your uncertain feelings last. Feelings do not have any brains.
Jesus gave a very significant illustration in St. Luke 9:61-62, when a man said he wanted to follow Him for the rest of his life. He then requested that he first go home and say farewell to his family members. Jesus told him that following Him required undivided loyalty. Jesus, by His expression was establishing a vitally important principle as it relates to covenant relationships of which marriage is an integral part. If you are considering marriage and are unable or unwilling to live within a covenant relationship with your spouse, then the decent thing to do is to refrain from publicly expressing “I do”, because it may not be very long after that “I don’t” becomes a reality.
On the occasion of his fiftieth anniversary, Henry Forde, the vehicular magnate, was asked about his formula for a good marriage. His interesting reply was: “The same as for a successful car – stick to one model”. How insightful!
My suggestion to all married couples, go and do likewise.
At age sixteen, I committed my life to God. At that young age I made a decision that should I marry, I will be a “one-eye man”. I have said to my wife that my first loyalty is not to her but to God. I strongly believe that if I can be unreservedly committed to God by following His principles for wholesome living, I can remain faithful to my wife until death separates us. Being faithful to God has enabled me to stay committed to my wife for the length of time we have been married and I do not intend to change that course of action no matter what popular culture suggests. My devotion to God and my wife has not been without many temptations over the years, but I have proven that the same God who designed the institution of marriage has given me the resources necessary to remain committed to my wife.
Before making a promise to marry your prospective spouse, there must first be an understanding of the gravity of the action you are taking. You must purpose to live a life of integrity, and habitually develop a genuine love for your partner so that nurturing the character trait of commitment becomes a great possibility before marriage. Faithfulness to your future married partner does not leave any space opened for third parties, but keeps an airtight union that fosters continuous harmony and sincere affection for each other.
This level of commitment should go a step further where you see marriage as a covenant relationship into which you enter. In a covenant relationship, communication is at its highest level and companionship finds its greatest pleasure and peace. In this covenant bond, the couple does not focus primarily on a short-term union but understand the value of a life-long journey of deep sharing, mutual respect and growing intimacy. The bond of marriage in a covenant relationship therefore is not based on love first out of the emotions, although that is involved, but more so out of the will. The basis for solid marriage relations originates out of a decision to do so and not out of a feeling to do so. If your marriage is based on feelings, then you are in for a frustrating and fragile union that will only last as long as your uncertain feelings last. Feelings do not have any brains.
Jesus gave a very significant illustration in St. Luke 9:61-62, when a man said he wanted to follow Him for the rest of his life. He then requested that he first go home and say farewell to his family members. Jesus told him that following Him required undivided loyalty. Jesus, by His expression was establishing a vitally important principle as it relates to covenant relationships of which marriage is an integral part. If you are considering marriage and are unable or unwilling to live within a covenant relationship with your spouse, then the decent thing to do is to refrain from publicly expressing “I do”, because it may not be very long after that “I don’t” becomes a reality.
On the occasion of his fiftieth anniversary, Henry Forde, the vehicular magnate, was asked about his formula for a good marriage. His interesting reply was: “The same as for a successful car – stick to one model”. How insightful!
My suggestion to all married couples, go and do likewise.