The Purpose of Marriage: Part 1
We live in a culture where it is very easy for a husband and wife to drift apart. The reason for this is because our society encourages us to pursue our dreams and strive to achieve our goals. Starting in Jr. High we are told to start planning for our lives, primarily in the areas of college and career. What is left out is how to include a relationship in that plan.
What ultimately happens is that people enter marriage with two different paths for life. Some times those paths are similar, but many times it has the husband and wife going in different directions. Common goals and a central purpose are not part of the marriage relationship. This leads to husband and wife drifting apart as they chase after the life of their dreams.
The reality is that our culture has lost God’s original vision for marriage. We see marriage as the ultimate declaration of romantic love. It might be a nice fantasy to think marriage is ultimately about romance and love, but it falls short of what God intends marriage to be.
God’s desire for marriage is for it to be a joint venture to work for His Kingdom. We see this in the Genesis narrative when God creates Eve to work alongside Adam to bring order into the world. The differences that exist between men and women remind us that there are different roles, but there is the same over riding purpose. It is this purpose that can help keep a husband and wife connected.
In our culture where couples have separate careers it is still possible to have this common purpose, a purpose that is greater than a career. This requires us to change our perspective on what marriage is. We need to see marriage as a dynamic partnership for the Kingdom of God. Christians need to understand that marriage is a declaration that together husband and wife can accomplish more for the Kingdom of God then they ever could separately.
Marriage is not primarily about love, but it is about being the stewards, ambassadors, and priests that God created men and women to be. When romantic love serves as the foundation for marriage it is all too easy for that marriage to begin to crumble when the excitement of romance begins to fade away. This happens when husband and wife are chasing their separate dreams and slowly they to drift apart.
It is so crucial for Christian men and women to understand that marriage is primarily about working for the Kingdom. What does that look like in practical terms? Over the next couple weeks I will develop what it looks like to be a dynamic duo for God’s Kingdom.
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