Marriages...

Daniel and Grace tied the knot today. I've got to say that the wedding went pretty well. The setup, the agenda. It was "perfect" to me.

I learned something today too. I can't recall her name, but she (the Pastor) who gave a message during their wedding ceremony, made me realized something when she mentioned that though a couple is given to one another, yet, the SOURCE of love still comes from God. For some reason, this just made perfect sense to me. Most relationships don't work out because each of the partner is expecting the other partner to fulfill their need for love. And the worse thing is that, it is not that they are holding it back, but rather, it is because they are incapable of perpetually sustaining that source of love from themselves to give to the other. This then when prolonged, would lead to hurts, wounds, discouragement, and even, resentment. Most of the time, if the issue is not dealt with, they will look elsewhere for this source of love. And that's why marriages fail. Infidelity does not happen overnight, nor is it usually an "accident", but rather it is a consequence of such subsequent events.

When I gave thought to the marriage thing a little deeper, I begin to realize that many people, here and elsewhere in the world, gives a very high regard of marriage as something that needs to be accomplish within his or her lifetime. It's as though if somebody doesn't get married, that person is "incomplete". However, I feel that God views marriages very differently from the way we humans view it. I know this, because from the bible we know that earthly human marriages ceases once we die. It does not perpetuate in heaven. For me, I see that marriage is something that God uses to teach us more about His love for us. But many have made it their goal for life. This is not God's will. Instead, I believe that He uses marriage to allow to grow and understand more about how He love us.

Paul also confirmed this when he wrote in Ephesians about how Christ is the bridegroom, and the church is His bride.
"For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh. This is a profound mystery-but I am talking about Christ and the church"
Eph 5:31-32 (NIV)
Now, don't get me wrong. I'm not trying to belittle the institution of marriage, but rather trying to stress the importance of it. Marriage is important, because to some, until we learn how to persevere and endure thru one, we will never fully understand nor grasp the "mystery" of the love of God. John Piper, in his sermon, "Sex and the Supremacy of Christ", mentioned that God created sex for husband and wives because it is thru that sexual relationship, that can we learn the intimacy that God desires with His people. "One flesh". It is not about sex with God, but rather, the depth of that intimate relationship that God so desperately desires with His creation.

I look for the day that I will know God, just I'm fully known. I know God has prepared a partner for me. But my ultimate partner is still Jesus. And with this, I'm glad I can be complete in Him, even if the world doesn't see it this way. Who cares. I've got Jesus.