“‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.’ This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church. However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.” – Ephesians 5:25-33
I have always found the marriage relationship fascinating. I enjoyed as a kid guessing whether a song on the radio was about God or a girl. Guessing whether the country singer was singing about how he missed his girlfriend or his Savior, I would chuckle to myself at how funny it was that those two things could sound so similar. I thought it was funny then, but now it makes me marvel at God’s elaborate plan when He created Adam and Eve in the Garden. It reminds me of just how similar the relationships are. God promised never to leave us or forsake us, and we have the opportunity to do the very same thing. We get to promise never to leave them or forsake them, for better or for worse, in sickness and in health.
It’s beautiful the similarities that God has created in much of His relationship with us. In marriage, a man will leave his parents and join himself to his wife, just as we are to leave our former lives and cling fully to Christ. In the same way, we don’t marry multiple wives because the Church is only to have one spouse, Jesus, not many idols and desires that we value equally or above Christ.
Still other parallels exist between God and us. In the Trinity, we see a perfect example of community. We were made for fellowship because we are made in the image of God, who is Himself a community. Because of this, we all need each other, just as the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit cannot exist apart from each other. They are a community. God created the church for this very purpose, giving us a community of like-minded people to encourage us and strengthen us on our missions to share His word. No matter how introverted you are, you still need others, and they need you.
Another example of this perfect reflection is the relationship of a family. God is given the name Father for a reason. Like a Father, He loves and protects us, even when we are rebellious and give Him nothing in return for His tireless efforts. As His children, we should obey Him and respect His authority, even if we don’t like it. He is God, Creator of Heaven and Earth, Potter of the Human Race, and your Father. He might just know a little bit more than you.
When I look at all of these intricately designed relationships and how they mirror God’s astounding perfection, I am filled with awe at how He gave us those very same relationships. He wanted others to get a taste of the wonder and the perfection He experienced, so He made us, crafting us carefully to desire intimacy, community, and love in the same way He does.
Our Creator is amazing, and I never cease to marvel at just how amazing and complex His creation is, in all of its varied aspects. Let’s live married to Him, and love the way He created us to.
I’m so sorry for not posting this on time! I have an alarm set each week now, but I guess I forgot to post after I turned it off.