Marriage Investments

The Wells of Marriage

Wake up, put the coffee on, check the latest on FB, Instagram, and Twitter “Oh dear did they really say that? ...“fix lunches, take the dog out, make sure everyone has all have their homework, synchronize schedules for the day...“did I turn off the iron ?”...while simultaneously thinking about the presentation for work, and what jobs need to be finished around the house... “Did I pay the electric bill; oh yeah, I had that switched to autopay…” only to wake up day after day and do it all again. No wonder our relationships vie for attention and demand that something fill the void. Our brains are inundated with counterfeits that mask as priorities; only truly satisfied by what God ordained from the beginning.

Marriage is the first relationship established by God to be a picture of the ONLY relationship that can truly fulfill every need we have. That is our relationship with HIM.

It is so easy in today’s busy world to allow the distractions and the hustle and bustle of everyday living to quietly and subtly steal our valuable time from relationships. Often we find ourselves in the “rat race” of life, going through the motions watching “life” pass us by.

The first God ordained institution: Marriage

Genesis 2:22-24 tells us that God ordained marriage between a man and a woman; "22 Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man.23 The man said,“This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh;she shall be called ‘woman,’ for she was taken out of man.”24 That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh. "

God's ultimate plan for mankind is that we would become one with CHRIST. John 17:21 is a prayer Jesus offers to the Father;"I pray that they will all be one just as you and I are one- as you are in me Father, and I am in you. And may they be in us, so that the world will believe you sent me."

He is referring to the church, which is a picture of the bride of Christ. It is a prayer for unity. That is the picture that marriage is supposed to be; two becoming one. Two individuals unified by a common goal, to be a living picture of our relationship with the Creator.

There are occasions in our relationship, when this institution of marriage feels more like we're in an 'institution' because of marriage.This is usually a result of either losing sight of what the relationship is meant to portray, or because we neglect investing time and being intentional about keeping it fresh and making it a priority. We unintentionally allow things to take the place of what used to be priority. That is the problem: what we used to be INTENTIONAL about, we become UNINTENTIONAL about. Often, it is the same with the relationship that marriage is supposed to be a picture of. We must remain intentional in both, for either one to remain healthy.

The first step in gaining back lost ground or continuing to make investments in your marriage, is to acknowledge what is most important. The relationship we began with our spouse at one time was priority, what happened to change that?

Often, as time passes and we become secure in our relationship, other things begin to take precedence. What we become familiar and comfortable with, we often take for granted. Such, is how it is with marriage.

We must remain as intentional IN the marriage as we were before the marriage. Take some time and list your daily schedule. Have you intentionally built in time to spend or focus on each other? Or, do you allow time and life to dictate when and where you spend time with your spouse? Take a moment and recall when the relationship first began; did you block out or make time to spend together? Now revisit your schedule and intentionally find a time, no matter how large or how small, and make it priority. Make this time all about each other NO phones, TV, or other distractions. It may feel awkward at first, but it with time it will feel more natural.

copyright 2018 Debbie Reed