7 Truths of Marriage: Rest in ConnectionSample

Truth In Pursuit

Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother and shall cleave unto his wife; and they shall be one flesh. - Genesis 2:24 (21st Century KJV)

Do you recall when you first noticed each other? The moment you became interested in more than being simple acquaintances an active pursuit began. Whether it was grand acts of admiration to garner attention or a mutual meeting of the hearts, it required action. Genesis 2:24 is such a vibrant description of one person chasing the other that it’s a cornerstone scripture for describing a core element of the covenant marriage.

The man, who must create a motion of separation from his parents requires effort. In that space created, his sights are set on the woman of his desires. The cleaving to his wife means that he clings to, holds tightly without space for anything other than the two of them. Talk about two becoming one! And, because God created both man and woman as equals, this action-oriented pursuing and cleaving goes for the woman as well.    

The truth is couples fall in love and grow in the depth of their relationship because they are pursuing to know each other better than they know themselves. Remember the endless questions and conversations about dreams and goals? That wasn’t just idle chatter to pass the time until the check came. You were both digging deep into the prospect of deciding if you wanted to spend the rest of your lives with each other. 

Once we’re married, we suddenly stop wanting to know every single thought each other has and start the stagnant process of just being married. That’s when things begin to un-cleave. Marriage isn’t designed for you both to be roommates. If you’ve stopped running toward each other and are in the walking away season of marriage, you can simply reverse course by returning to the truths of what it was that first made each other insertable—pursuit.

Truth Time:

When is the last time you pursued your spouse? Was it a date night, a surprise or maybe even getting the kids to bed early so you both had time together alone in the house? Being married doesn’t mean we cease the act of cleaving to each other.