A Healthy Look At Sex & Romance ಮಾದರಿ

COMMITMENT 

You fall in love, go through premarital counseling, send out invitations, book a venue, and now before God, your friends and your family, you both say, “I do.” These two words during your marriage ceremony hold significant spiritual weight because not only are you committing to each other; you’re cementing your relationship to our Heavenly Father. Too often today, we witness (or personally experience) an interruption in a marriage commitment for convenience sake, sometimes not realizing its future generational impact. I see first hand how the health of those who are ending a relationship can be negatively affected, none of which was in God’s original plan for our lives.

You might have a feeling of discontent in your marriage as you read this, but I want to encourage you to push through and STAND firm (The picture at the bottom is a testament of standing firm in our marriage. It's filled with quarters and snapshots from our "quarter anniversary.") .Let’s look at some biblical examples of marriage commitment and even though it’s not “easy,” God’s grace is sufficient for us:

Early on in Genesis, God created Eve out of Adam so he would not be alone. Right after God’s correction towards both of them, Adam stood by her side, even giving her the name “Eve,” which means, “mother of all living.” So often after we have disagreements with our spouse, the last thing we want to do is give “life-promoting” compliments, let alone stand alongside - but that’s what Adam did.

Another biblical example of commitment revolves around Abraham and Sarah. When Abraham is first introduced in the Bible, his name is Abram, and God shares that He will make him a great nation - no pressure! When God tells Abraham (his new name) he will be a father of many nations, they are now advanced in age, and Sarah had even “passed” the age of childbearing. Yet, God continues to share that Sarah will have a son. Both before and after this promise from God, their commitment to each other was tested, and God’s will was ultimately fulfilled with the birth of Isaac.

This leads us to Mary and Joseph. In the book of Matthew, we learn the lineage of Jesus originated with Abraham (talk about God’s ways are higher than ours!), but even so, Mary and Joseph’s commitment to each other was tested early on. Because Mary was pregnant, and the child was not from Joseph’s “bloodline,” he was tempted to end the relationship, but an angel came to him explaining the significance of who Jesus would become. Joseph listened, and humanity was changed forever.

No matter what period in human history, commitment hardships cause many types of stress in our bodies. I often see adrenal stress in my practice members, and I want to encourage you to focus on drinking plenty of water and limiting any and all sugar since sugar can zap your body of essential nutrients, which are especially needed to help your adrenals.

Friends: Relationships and marriage are hard, and never before has commitment been as fragile as it is now. If you currently find yourself in a fork in the road, I want to pray with you right now:

Heavenly Father, we come to you today and seek Your wisdom and grace. We ask for Your strength in my friend’s marriage, and that no weapon formed against this couple will prosper. I ask that their commitment to You, Lord, takes priority in their life and that you direct their paths in a way that gives You all the glory. Amen.