5 Marriage Lies to Defeat With Biblical Truthনমুনা

#1: You should be happy.

God didn’t create marriage for your happiness, but for His glory. Our happiness in eternity with Him will be so complete that we’ll instantly forget every trouble we faced on earth, but in this life, our happiness is not His first goal for us; but rather our sanctification and His glory. That’s right, He is to be honored and glorified by the relationship you share with your spouse. It’s a picture of Christ and the Church. It’s mission work, it’s gospel-driven, and it can be a lot of fun. It’s wonderful to have a friend and confidant. It’s a blessing to share a life with someone you love and delight in, but it was never created to satisfy you.

When the world is screaming that if you aren’t happy then it must not be right, that’s the time to dig in deeper and stay longer. Enduring love isn’t obtained in the honeymoon stage of marriage or when you’re experiencing mountain-top moments, it’s in the hospital rooms, when you’re nickel and diming to make ends meet, and in the 2 AM wake-up calls of a sick child where you choose to offer grace and kindness to each other regardless of the circumstances you face and the emotions you feel. You might not always feel happy in your marriage, and that’s ok!

You are often going to experience the need to lay your pride aside and embrace humility (1 Peter 5:6); offer forgiveness that hasn’t been asked for (Colossians 3:13), and navigate hard seasons in your marriage. It may not make you happy, but when we use it all as a means to grow closer to Him, it will increase our righteousness and help us to experience true joy. (James 1:2-4)

Challenge:

How have you adopted the idea that your happiness should come before holiness? How can you start to view your marriage as a ministry on a mission to glorify God?

Prayer:

Dear Heavenly Father, sometimes it’s so hard to put aside my desire for happiness and instead seek holiness. But I know you called me to be holy, so help me to seek you first and seek you most, even in my marriage. Help me to lean into your teachings and your Word so that I may grow closer to you and my spouse, and develop a marriage that brings you glory.