Are you newly married and loving it, or perhaps newly married and shocked with it? Marriage is perhaps one of the most wrongly viewed things among singles, with opinions and emotions about it ranging from "dreamy" to "scary." Those who have been married longer know better: It's something worth fighting for.
To all who are newly married and are having a lot of hard times adjusting to the new kind of lifestyle marriage brings, here are some things you need to realise. I hope this helps you.
1. You're not living just for you anymore
Back in our still-single days, we used to live for ourselves, pretty much doing what we want to do, when we want to do it. We work, earn money, save some for that wonderful hobby, and enjoy the fruits of our labours.
Now that we're married, we work and hope to get home early so that our spouse won't worry, save some money for that wonderful home we're hoping to buy for our family, and enjoy the fruits of our labour along with the person who wears the wedding ring that's partnered with ours.
Yes, we're not alone anymore, and what we do affects our beloved spouse.
Genesis 2:24 tells us of marriage: "This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one."
2. You need to consider your spouse's needs
Because we don't live alone and just for ourselves anymore, we need to adjust to it by thinking of our spouse's needs. This means thinking of your own desires and wants less, to make room for what your wife or husband needs.
Friends, don't think of marriage as some sort of "leash" that chokes the life out of you because you aren't free to do what you want to do. We all need to see our spouse as God's trust to us, meaning, that He trusts us enough to entrust to us His child as our sole partner aside from Him. We should be grateful for, and willing to serve our spouse.
Ephesians 5:20-21 tells us: "And give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. And further, submit to one another out of reverence for Christ."
3. You were joined together for God's purposes
No marriage ever happens by accident. We all choose to marry our spouse, and each time a person marries another in the sight of God, there's more to it than just the "I do" and the contract.
Genesis 2:18 tells us, "Then the Lord God said, 'It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper who is just right for him.'"
God had intended each marriage to have a purpose which can only be completed when both the husband and the wife work together, pursuing God's call on them. Are you pursuing it?
