Three Simple Truths about Marriage

Society paints a concept of marriage that is often unrealistic.  Too often media portrays two madly in love individuals dancing off into the sunset never to experience any difficulties.  Life is filled with sunny days, never ending bliss, and total fulfillment.  This type of thinking has resulted in an unrealistic idealized standard for marriage and anything that falls short is seemingly a disaster.

Unfortunately, individuals who embark upon the marriage relationship with this type of thinking will be greatly disappointed.  Don’t get me wrong, marriage is an awesome gift from God but it isn’t always a walk in the park.  To truly enjoy and benefit from the marriage relationship one must maturely understand everything that comes with the territory.  So, here are a few simple truths that come all wrapped up in the gift of marriage that the misty eyed dreamer may over look but must understand.

1. Your spouse is going to get on your last nerve.

That’s right I said it.  There are going to be days that your dear soul mate is going to pitch his or her tent on the very last nerve you have.  Tempting the most holy and sanctified Christian to utter words that would make a sailor blush.  Let’s be real, it is going to happen so be prepared to accept it.  Your spouse isn’t perfect and neither are you.  Chances are you have done several things yourself that have given your spouse reason to pause and question your sanity.

2. Bad times will come.

It’s amazing how often couples develop amnesia in regard to the vows they once wholeheartedly proclaimed.  Before God and man they vowed to love their spouses for better or for worse.  Yet, when the inevitable worse occurs, shock and devastation sets in as though bad times were never to be a part of the equation.  This is life, and unfortunately life comes with quite a bit of worse.  Jobs may be lost, people may get sick, finances may be a mess, children may act out, and midlife crisis may occur.  Only  naïve thinking would lead one to believe that marriage will always be for the better and never for the worse.

3. Your spouse cannot fulfill your needs.

Many enter the marriage covenant expecting their partner to fulfill everything that is lacking in their lives, wrong move. That’s a lot of pressure to put on someone.   For instance, an insecure individual should never expect their spouse be the cure or remedy for their insecurities.  God never created them for that purpose.  The only being that can fulfill any lack in your life is Christ.  So, never place that burden on anyone, especially your spouse.

So now that I’ve shown you the bad, let me bless you with the good.  God has a magnificent way of using the bad for our good, and here is how he does it in the aforementioned situations. When your spouse gets on your last nerve, God uses it as an opportunity to teach you patience and to help you stop being so uptight.  When bad times come, God is making you more resilient and strong, ready to face your next battle, and when your spouse doesn’t fulfill your needs, God is teaching you to trust in the only one who can fulfill your needs.

Then, before you know it, you will look back and discover that through the “bad” times you have developed a love relationship with your spouse that is unstoppable.  Your love for each other is far deeper because you’ve drawn closer to each other as a result of enduring the worst times.  It’s a simple concept but too often we allow the worse to keep us from God’s best.

What are your thoughts on these three simple truths and what additional truths can you add to the list?  If you like what you’ve read please share it and subscribe.  Live extraordinary and God bless!