Blog

Over the last month, I’ve had the privilege of teaching a dating class at our church. This class serves as a Biblical and practical course for the dating life, but it also is designed to help us prepare for marriage. Also, during this month, I’ve had the honour of performing two wedding ceremonies. My wife and I have also been going through a marriage book to help encourage us as we continue on our journey together. Needless to say, marriage has been on my mind a lot lately.

And it should be. It should always be.

Marriage is something that takes time, energy, and effort. We don’t like to think it does because “love should come naturally.” Well, it does and it doesn’t. Love can be like a flash at the beginning of relationships, but can dwindle down to almost nothing if we don’t put in the time, energy, and effort. Because we are all sinful and all fall short, we become a little selfish. The fact is most of us want what’s best for “me” and sometimes that is at the expense of our significant other.

The Apostle Paul knew that we were all like this. At the beginning of his great passage on marriage, he says this:

“Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.” Ephesians‬ ‭5:21‬ ‭

When we think about what Christ did for us on the cross, how He unselfishly gave up His life for us and how while He was on the cross He was forgiving us for not knowing what we were doing, we should revere Christ and honour His act of mercy to us. We should revere His sacrifice. We should forgive others for not knowing what they’re doing. When we do that, it translates into a life of loving sacrifice for our spouse. We live to serve one another and even when our husband or wife upsets us, we still serve them because we are reminded of Christ’s love and forgiveness for us.

Sometimes, that’s a really hard thing to do. But with practice and time and energy and effort, it can get a little easier.