Relationship--Marriage
“So embrace, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, a spirit of mercy, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, and longsuffering. Bear with one another and forgive one another. If anyone has a quarrel against anyone, even as Christ forgave you, so you must do. And above all these things, embrace love, which is the bond of perfection.” Colossians 3:12-14 (MEV)
Paul’s instructions in Colossians 3:12-14 certainly should work well in a marriage. Perhaps these verses should be included in the marriage ceremony. I can’t pretend to tell anyone how to have a successful marriage, but Colossians 3:12-14 would be a great start, and I can tell you what has worked for Norma and me.
Within the first year of our marriage, we attended my grandparent’s 50th wedding anniversary party. The emcee asked if anyone there expected to be married for fitty years. Norma and I both said, “Yes, we do,” and everybody laughed. We answered the laughter with the words, “We mean it,” and over 61 years later we still mean it.
We didn’t enter our marriage with the idea of a 50-50 arrangement. We agreed that we were both committed 100% to each other and to our marriage relationship. It’s been great. Encompassed with our love has always been the word, “respect.” We may not often disagree, but we do always respect each other’s opinion. I have sometimes been cautioned by the Holy Spirit to hold my tongue and be patient while my wife disagrees with me. And when I haven’t been patient, Norma has been forgiving, and I am grateful for that.
Friendship is also at the heart of our relationship. Norma is my best friend, and I am her best friend. We do have other friends, and we do enjoy spending time with them—sometimes together and sometimes separately. They often enlarge our vision. Norma and I recognize that we each have individual skills and abilities, and when we combine them we serve our Lord best and we experience the satisfaction of having accomplished something together that neither of us could have done alone.
God has blessed our marriage with our great love for each other, for our mutual love for Him, and His love for us. Without Jesus Christ as our Savior, and without the Holy Spirit as our guide, we would not and could not be as close to each other as we are. Our relationship with our God has been the solid foundation of our marriage.
Verse fourteen of the above passage, “And above all these things, embrace love, which is the bond of perfection.” Love, ours and His, has been the bond of perfection in our marriage.
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