WHAT GOD HAS JOINED TOGETHER, LET MAN NOT SEPARATE

When we get married, our life is no longer our own. Every decision we make will impact our partner, whether it's how we'll spend our hard-earned money or how we'll spend our equally hard-earned leisure time. All too often we do not consciously sacrifice our time and desires for the sake of the person to whom we have committed our lives. Perhaps it was easier to prioritize that special someone before we got married. But now, there is so much more to consider (especially if children are in the equation) in terms of sharing space, money, and time. Sometimes we just want to do what we want to do when we want to do it. When we want to marry, we must decide that we no longer have that luxury. This is our vow.

We all think that being a good husband will come naturally. It does not. I've heard it said that "most men don't know how to be a good husband because they haven't learned to be a good bride" referring to the Bride of Christ. Jesus regularly put the needs of others above His own. When He retreated to solitude, He did so to draw near to God and recharge His batteries from the Source for the purpose of meeting the needs of others. That was His role: to reconcile mankind to God. We as husbands have a similar role. God has placed us as head of our respective homes to lead our families into the gates of Heaven. Further, we are to lead by example, serving our families as Jesus demonstrated by washing His friends' feet.

Jesus was not a servant-leader, He was simply a servant. The more we serve our wives by putting their needs above our own, by prioritizing them with our schedules, by actively listening to the desires of their hearts, the better and more satisfying our marriage will be. It is a privilege to hear the deepest longings of someone's heart. It is a privilege to have someone with whom to share our dreams, our goals, and our life's pursuits. This is the union that God established for us from the beginning! May your marriage be a happy one! Be warned, it won't be easy. It requires work. It requires patience. It requires sacrifice. And it requires endurance. But, the rewards far outweigh these efforts!