Marriage Isn’t Always Easy (Part 1)
It’s not easy being married is it? Afterall, with marriage comes a whole new level of responsibility, maturity, effort, work, communication, sacrifices, and more. I believe one of the first things we learn about in marriage is the leaving of our parents; Genesis 2:20-24 we see Adam has been naming the creatures that God has created, but God sees that there is no suitable helper for Adam. What does God do? He creates a woman from a rib of Adam and she becomes his helpmate – his wife.
“The Lord God fashioned into a woman the rib which He had taken from the man, and brought her to the man. The man said, “This is now bone of my bones, And flesh of my flesh; She shall be called Woman, Because she was taken out of Man.” For this reason, a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh.” Genesis 2:22-24
What do we see at the end of this scripture? It clearly states that a man shall leave his father and mother and by this joining of man and woman the woman also is leaving her family and the couple is indeed now to learn to be one together, they are to “cleave” to on another. This is more than a physical leaving of his family, but we will start with that and then look at the types of leaving that should occur as well:
Leave home physically. Two or more families living under one roof has its challenges. If at all possible, start and maintain married life with your very own physical address. Your own home is a tangible expression of leaving and cleaving. Having your own place allows your parents to come visit and see that you are indeed growing as an adult, being responsible and that you and your spouse can survive without mom and dad. Your parents will be proud of you. However, by getting married and living on your own will empower you for the next challenges you will face, such as first steps into a new career, having your own children, etc.
The second one we will look at will be leaving home relationally. When you said your “I do’s” that meant your spouse and your marriage requires new priorities. Your favorite person in life is now your spouse. Your job is to be accepting and forgiving of one another. You understand that you are now responsible for your own actions and you learn about each other’s needs and filling them. Your mom is no longer your No. 1 woman, and your dad is no longer your No. 1 man. You are to meet each other’s needs and learn that your wife’s cooking is now your favorite food ever! Your husband’s handiwork is to be admired! When you are sick, you will find out that your husband can make great chicken noodle soup, or when something needs to be fixed you will see that your wife has learned some great skills from her dad. Your focus isn’t on the past when you were growing up, your focus is now on the present and future with your spouse!
To be continued…
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