Marriage Equality

Wednesday, February 26, 2014 Posted by Katie

I love marriage.

I love that it is the microcosm of the relationship between God and His people. That is what makes marriage so educational. It is also what makes marriage so tough.

This week, we are chatting up about the upside down measurements of God’s Kingdom. One of those upside down measurements, at least from the world’s point of view, can be found in marriage.

In marriage, you have promised to care for another person, come what may. That means when they are tired, cranky, obstinate, unfair, or just plain discourteous, you need to dig deep and reach for energy, cheerfulness, flexibility, humility, and courtesy. You must dig deep and grab onto these things despite the fact that your human nature is tempting you to return fire with fire. That can be really difficult sometimes, and super annoying.

But, I’ll tell you what’s NOT annoying.

When I’M tired, cranky, obstinate, unfair, or just plain discourteous, and my husband responds to me with energy, cheerfulness, flexibility, humility, and courtesy...I’m not annoyed at all. (Shocking, I know.)

I actually love that.

When Phillip treats me this way, it reminds me of the power of grace. It reminds me that loving the undeserving has an other-worldly power that the otherwise natural instinct to retaliate cannot touch. It reminds me that God loves me and extends grace to me, regardless of what I deserve. It reminds me that with God’s help, I can love others, especially my husband, with an other-worldly power.

And so, I try to extend this love to my husband, in turn, and pray that he is reminded of the same truths. This is what we do. Back and forth. We don’t always get it right, but we look to God’s unwavering love for guidance.

My dear husband and I are equal partners in our marriage. Equally undeserving. Equally dependent on God. Equally hopeful and trusting in God’s help to extend love and grace to each other. Equally learning more each day about the upside down measurements of God’s Kingdom. Equally praising God for them.

I pray the same for you in your relationships, whatever they may be.