The Purpose of Marriage Part I:
The Story of the Knight in Shining Armour and the Damsel in Distress
Pastor Anna Button | 28th of April, 2021
The other day, I found myself reflecting on how Christ loved the church so much that He gave Himself up for her (Ephesians chapter 5 verse 25). This led me to think about marriage, or more specifically, my marriage.
As a young bride, I was so excited about the handsome, strong man I was going to marry. John and I loved spending time with each other, as many young couples newly in love do, and I thought we had a special connection because we could talk about anything together. Then came the wedding, and the thing with weddings, which we spend thousands and thousands of dollars on, is that they are just one day in our lives. Marriage is forever – EVERY, SINGLE, DIFFICULT day afterwards! I think we know this, but we still do not expect marriage to be the way it ends up being, because we think we are different; we think our love is pure.
The truth, however, is that we are not different. We are all human, and we all suffer the consequences of our humanity. And I believe we, as a society, have reduced marriage to a commodity, a thing to be had when we feel good, and a thing to discard when we no longer enjoy it. The success rates for marriages are not a good indicator for marriages to last either, and I believe they drive people into thinking of marriage as a commodity even more.
Today, many of us have been conditioned as little girls to grow up thinking that a man on a white horse in shining armour will come and rescue us, and as young boys, we have grown up thinking that we are that hero in a white suit, fighting for the love of our lives. This is the reflection that we see of our ourselves in the mirror of film, television, the books we read, and all the other acceptable societal norms, such as prostitution and pornography. The problem is, neither girls or boys (who grow up to be adult men and women) can live up to such a standard. We are neither the perfect partner who does everything right, or the dismal partner who does everything wrong. And we were not created to be another human being’s saviour. We could never live up to this expectation… but Jesus can!
Be blessed xx
Senior Pastor Anna is a mother to six children ranging in age from 6 to 30 years old and a loving wife to Ps. John for the past 30 years. Ps. Anna is a gifted vocalist who has been leading worship for many years. She loves to see people come alive in the presence of God. She also teaches primary education and has a great heart for children’s ministry. Anna loves to read and run and is currently training to run a marathon.