The meaning of marriage

I went to a friend’s ROM recently. It got me into thinking about the meaning of marriage. My conclusion is:

Marriage is meaningful to me only when I link it with God.

I used to think that there was no need to get married. To me, it’s meaningless to be with someone who doesn’t love me. If I am not in his heart, what’s the point of keeping him by my side? A marriage certificate is not a guarantee that both would love each other forever, even if both have said the vow passionately and determinately. The feeling, the chemistry will just eventually vanish.

I was, however, eventually convinced that two people should come together in a marriage and be “one flesh” to serve God. That was after reading the book “Kiss dating goodbye”. I couldn’t summarise or rephrase and give a good explanation for that at that time. I was not a Christian at that time and that was two years ago. This thought came to my mind again after attending the friend’s ROM.

It’s hard for two people to stay together, loving each other for a life time. No matter how compatible, how good the chemistry is, there will be bound to be times when you are just irritated by the other person; there will be bound to be times when there are disagreements. How great can the love be for the other person, especially when you know that you can choose whether you want to marry this person? It is a free will. There are bound to be doubts. I think the only guarantee and binding force for this love is the love for God. In God’s Kingdom, there is a set of rules to guide how people should live. Without following these laws, the society is just chaotic, so is the case for marriage.

Ephesians 5:21-33
21 subjecting yourselves one to another in the fear of Christ.
22 Wives, be subject to your own husbands, as to the Lord.
23 For the husband is the head of the wife, and Christ also is the head of the assembly, being himself the savior of the body.
24 But as the assembly is subject to Christ, so let the wives also be to their own husbands in everything.
25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the assembly, and gave himself up for it;
26 that he might sanctify it, having cleansed it by the washing of water with the word,
27 that he might present the assembly to himself gloriously, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.
28 Even so husbands also ought to love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself.
29 For no man ever hated his own flesh; but nourishes and cherishes it, even as the Lord also does the assembly;
30 because we are members of his body, of his flesh and bones.
31 “For this cause a man will leave his father and mother, and will be joined to his wife. The two will become one flesh.”
32 This mystery is great, but I speak concerning Christ and of the assembly.
33 Nevertheless each of you must also love his own wife even as himself; and let the wife see that she respects her husband.

It is by following this law and following God’s words that the two people can stay together for a life time.

“For with God nothing is impossible” (Luke 1:37).

Therefore, marriage is only meaningful when God comes into place.

In the process of growing up, I have been taught that marriage is a milestone in life, maybe a stage that one must go through. However, I just found that somehow all the reasons given to me, supporting marriage were insufficient to convince me. At least, with this reason here, I am convinced.

There are still a lot of things that I have yet to find meaning to...

Yan