Today’s scripture: Mark 10:9 (NRSV) (The Message) (KJV) What might God be saying to me?
My thoughts (Jeff Cope):
“What therefore God has joined together, let no one separate” (Mark 10:9).
I used to have the mindset that marriage amounted to a piece of paper, documenting the event. There was no special significance to it other than it is “what you’re supposed to do.” This was mainly due to coming from a broken home several times over. Each of my parents have been married four times, twice to each other even.
It is only when I started to look at it from a different perspective did I realize how important it is. First off, I had to get it out of my mind that marriage was meant to fail. That’s not by design, that’s by human choice. Second, I realized marriage is what God intended for us all. When God brings someone special into your life that you cannot imagine living without, that bond is cemented through marriage. It becomes a union of your souls.
God created the bond of marriage to last for a lifetime, but it takes lots of work on our part. We have to get over ourselves and work together as one soul instead of two, putting aside our own desires in some cases in order to meet the needs of the other person. It’s about balance and continuity between the two halves that lead to a successful whole. I’ve heard it said, “You can either be right or you can be married,” and I believe this statement carries so much truth to it.
When I finally got married, things were immediately different. I could tell there was a newfound responsibility for the other person that I hadn’t felt before. It was a bond like no other I’d felt, and I knew it was something special. No longer was I just one person operating my own life, but we were one. I also say this, having lived with her for several years prior to us getting married.
Having experienced the beauty of marriage firsthand is one of the reasons I’m so emphatic about everyone’s God given right to be married. I think people on the opposing side of the issue forget that the core of who we are has nothing to do with gender. Our bodies, and more specifically, our gender are temporal whereas our souls are eternal, as is the union of two souls here on earth.
Thought for the day: Marriage is truly a gift from God.
We encourage you to include a time of prayer with this reading. If you need a place to get started, consider the suggestions on the How to Pray page.