Building a Strong Marriage and BusinessSample

Leave, Cleave, and Weave

When we first got married, Sue was very excited to get home after our honeymoon and start settling into our new apartment. Larry, however, didn’t want to leave the honeymoon! From talking to other couples, this seems very common. Ladies seem to have an instinct to establish their new home after getting married. But, guys? Not so much.

In Genesis 2:24, God encourages a man to leave the home he grew up in and start a new home with his wife. Why the instruction to men and not women? Well, it seems that it’s written like this because women are usually ready to leave and establish their new homes naturally. Guys sometimes need a little encouragement!

So, does this verse mean you can just abandon your parents? No, we see elsewhere in Scripture that we are to honor our parents, even in adulthood. To leave your mother and father simply means to elevate and cherish your marriage above all other earthly relationships. When you get married, that becomes the priority in your life. Your marriage relationship is more important than your previous relationships, more important than your business, more important than anything but God. So, we are to leave.

This verse also encourages a man to hold fast to his wife. Some versions translate this word as to "cleave." To hold fast or to cleave is a verb—an action word! We need to actively work to be joined together closely and bonded together.

Leaving and cleaving leads to weaving. When God joins a husband and wife together, the two become one. Two distinct, unique individuals come together in marriage and become one flesh—and are stronger together!

Pray this prayer: God, help us make our marriage the top human relationship in our lives. Help us to hold tight to each other, and live as one flesh. In Jesus name, amen.

Take action: Think about any relationships in your life and business that are getting in the way of your marriage relationship. Come up with a plan to get things back into their proper priority.

Tomorrow we will talk about what it looks like to live as one flesh!