As a soon to be married person, I have realized everyone has some sort of input that they feel is important to share. I truly enjoy hearing about people's married experiences but what I find intriguing is how many people choose to share the worst parts.
Marriage is not a walk through the flowers. Just as the rest of life there are positive and negative elements. Dwelling on the negative moments does not share a positive perspective with anyone. As people share the negative, I find it difficult to be excited about the miserable things people highlight. I want to hear the good things; there is enough challenge in life without adding in all the negative aspects about the second biggest decision I have ever made.
Looking at other married people for years, I have questioned why I would ever consider wanting to be married. Marriage is often devalued through the 'happy wife, happy life' mentality. I don't want to willingly be married if my only purpose is to be miserable to make someone else happy. To sacrifice is not something I am apprehensive of, but I desire a relationship where we both are willing and choose to make sacrifices. Marriage is not and should not be a one-sided relationship. One sided relationships are miserable and not something I would ever choose, willingly or unwillingly, again.
We trivialize marriage through a deplorable lack of focus on the beauty of sacrifice and devotion that is shared between married people. While marriage is far from an enchanting experience, there is beauty in the growth as two become one.
Regardless, marriage is to reflect the relationship God maintains with the people of the church. The Lord sacrificed His life for the salvation of the world and in our omission of the truth He still pursues and loves us. Even in the moments of frustration, anger, and all those other negative elements of life, sanctification happens. As we are sanctified we learn to sacrifice, love, and pursue those to whom we have made a commitment for life.
In a society that has little regard for marriage it is our responsibility to stand against the misconceptions and negative ideas about marriage and it's purpose. No matter what culture or our government may say about marriage, we stand before a God that holds marriage as sacred and holy.
