If you are married, you may have discovered why marriage is so important and experienced some of the good that comes from it. Or, maybe marriage was hard for some of you and you’re no longer married. However, there is hope. But that hope starts with realizing that marriage can be more amazing than you have experienced or even thought.
I’ve been married many years and have experienced both the amazing as well as the very hard. Marriage eliminated loneliness for me and my wife. We are more effective in working as a team versus working as individuals. Through challenges, we have both matured. And a side bonus, we have wonderful kids that came from our union. Those are all good and wonderful, but I’ve also discovered something even greater. I believe God has created marriage to reveal more about Him and how awesome He is. And this is revealed through many of His purposes for marriage. Here are 5 reasons that explain the importance of marriage.
1. Beginning
Marriage is the beginning—the beginning of the family—and is a life-long commitment. It also provides an opportunity to grow in selflessness as you serve your wife and children. Marriage is more than a physical union; it is also a spiritual and emotional union. This union mirrors the one between God and His Church.
2. Oneness
When a man and woman get married, the “two become one.” Marriage is a bond like no other. It gives us a life partner, a teammate, as we move through the challenges of life together.
3. Purity
Marriage is designed for purity. We face temptation nearly every minute and from all directions. The bond of marriage gives us the support to defeat temptation by engaging in deep, satisfying love—a love that gives to, and receives from, our mate physically, emotionally, and spiritually.
4. Parenting
When a marriage produces a child or receives a child through adoption, it is one of life’s greatest blessings. Roughly 40% of children being raised today are in a home without a father. The effects of that fact are staggering. Father absence causes increases in mental and behavioral disorders as well as criminal activity and substance abuse. But when children are raised in a healthy marriage, they get a front row seat to see and experience the lasting benefits of a strong family.
5. Love
Marriage is designed to mirror our Creator’s unconditional love for us. It’s a love that will always be there and will never leave us or forsake us. When a man and woman love one another unconditionally, contentment and joy follow.
