Holiness

It is a great and terrible lie. We want it to be true. We ache with desire for it...

...because if it were true marriage would be all about us.

We have been told: Marriage is about making me happy.

This is the great lie that that can kill marriages. We buy into this for but a moment, and we lose the significance of our marriage. We let this in, and marriage becomes nothing more than a field for self-gratification. Not a union for two, but a fight for one.

The truth is more difficult, but much more glorious. The truth is that marriage can include happiness, and can in fact include a lot of happiness.

Marriage, though, is not about making me happy, but about making me holy.

When we view marriage as a way in which God works to make us holy, a way of molding our lives, we see the glorious truth of marriage.

In marriage, we can understand what being the bride of Christ looks like, we can see our union with Christ better, we can see a glimpse of our life with the King.

If we treat our marriage as a flower bed for holiness...

...we can find joy in tough decisions.
...we can feel confident discussing personal sins.
...avoid disappointment by focusing on the other persons needs.

Marriage is about growing a flower of faith, moving toward God.

May we move away from the idol of happiness...