More Than Just A Ring
Marriage is more than just a ring, it’s a commitment and a journey. It has been nearly three years since Ben and I pledged our lives to each other in marriage, and that time has flown by so quickly. People don’t lie when they say that time flies. Although we are still newlyweds, the past three years of marriage have given us some great insights that we believe will be helpful and beneficial to you. Today, Ben & I would like to share with you about how marriage is a lot more than just a ring on your finger.
Something that doesn’t often get talked about, is God’s design for marriage and why it is so important. We often grow up romanticizing marriage, and while that is okay to an extent, we need to realize that there is more to marriage than just displaying a pretty ring on your hand for others to ogle at.
So, today, let’s take a dive head first into what God’s design for marriage looks like. Each of us may learn something new along the way, including me.
The wedding ring itself is an outward symbol of a man & woman’s inward bond. It illustrates an unending circle, the eternal quality of love. The exchanging of rings is a symbol of the covenant relationship of marriage that God created, that was never meant to be broken.
Having a ring in marriage is more than just an appearance. When a couple wears the rings, they demonstrate their submission to God’s authority over their marriage. They recognize that God brought them together and that He is intricately involved in every single part of their covenant relationship.
Marriage itself, for Christians, is so much more than just an act. Marriage is a holy act of worship before a Holy God. So, this is not a small thing for us to overlook. Because marriage is a holy act of worship towards God, our marriages should reflect God as well. They should demonstrate the relationship between God and the church, and His unfailing, unending love. To the world, your marriage and own walk with Christ may very well be the only Jesus they ever see. Knowing this, we should want to reflect God so well in our lives, but especially so in marriage to those who know nothing of Him.
In Hebrews 13:4 we are told that “Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral“.
Marriage is a mirror of God’s covenant relationship with His people (Malachi 2:14). Marriage is also a vow to God in addition to a vow to each other (Ecclesiastes 5:4-5).
Given these facts in scripture, and especially knowing that marriage is a sacred covenant instituted by God, marriage becomes so much more than a ring. It is something that should be treasured and taken care of. Not something that is fleeting. Our feelings, no doubt, won’t always be a constant, but the significance of marriage and the representation of Christ in marriage won’t change.
Marriage paints such a beautiful picture of Christ in so many different ways. The goal of marriage isn’t really to make us happy. Now, I know that is something none of us want to hear, but it is the truth. Can we be happy in marriage? Sure, but our happiness isn’t the ultimate goal of marriage. The goal of marriage is to make us holy, and to reflect Christ & share the gospel in a better way than we could have before.
[Tweet “The goal of marriage is to make us holy, and to reflect Christ & share the gospel in a better way than we could have before.”]
The ministry Focus On The Family describes marriage really well in this article. While Ben and I are still new at this and don’t have as much knowledge on the matter yet, I know that we will be more knowledgeable in time. Marriage is a journey, not a destination that we arrive it. Just know, that even though a ring is beautiful and complementary, it isn’t what makes a marriage. What makes a marriage, are two imperfect people, serving a perfect God & letting Him be the guide of their lives.
[Tweet “What makes a marriage, are two imperfect people, serving a perfect God, & letting Him be the guide of their lives.”]
When we let God be the guide of our lives and marriages, we begin to see more clearly His immense love for us. Through marriage, though hard as it may be, God uses us to reflect Himself. I look at marriage this way: It is a refining process much like what a diamond goes through. God is constantly refining us so that we eventually sparkle and shine with the light of His love to a waiting and watching world. It’s a process that isn’t easy, and sometimes hurts, but one that yields rewarding and fulfilling results.
When two selfish people enter into a marriage, you have to trust God to change your heart because you are incapable of doing so yourself. We are all selfish, and marriage makes that abundantly clear. However, with God at the center of it all, He teaches you how to love to spouse like He does. He teaches you how to be selfless instead of selfish. He teaches you why marriage matters. And He teaches you more about Himself.
Through the eyes of Jesus, marriage is so much more than just a ring. It’s a commitment to serve. It’s a commitment that you’re willing to be refined. It’s a covenant with God between you and your spouse, and something that God thinks very highly of. It’s something that shouldn’t be taken lightly. Marriage is the physical representation and image of God to a world that is watching.
