Our Daughter’s Wedding

Our daughter’s wedding led me to reflect on the beauty and seriousness of the marriage commitment. The biblical principles are more important than ever.

On Oct. 27, 2012, I watched as my husband handed our daughter Shannon over to her groom. I glanced to my side and saw our daughter Terra and her husband hold hands. I looked around the room and saw family members with marriages that have lasted over 50 years.

I thought to myself: “Marriage—what a beautiful thing!”

Prior to the wedding, we sent an email to the engaged couple explaining biblical principles in the wedding vow that set the basis for a lasting marriage. We spoke about marriage being a commitment before God, about submission and about handling the trials to come.

Marriage today

Married adults now divorce 2½ times as often as adults did 20 years ago and four times as often as they did 50 years ago. Between 40 and 60 percent of new marriages will eventually end in divorce.

Jesus said that the hardness of the human heart was a reason Moses allowed divorce in the Old Testament, but it was not God’s intention from the beginning.

A commitment to God is a firm foundation for anyone considering marriage. Loving God with all your heart, mind and soul leads to loving your neighbor as yourself. And your spouse is the closest neighbor that you have!

My daughter’s wedding invitation quoted Ecclesiastes 4:9: “Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor.” Having a strong commitment in marriage does have its rewards.

The truth about submission

“Submission” can be an ugly word in society today. Images of battered women and over-demanding men have left a bitter taste in the mouths of many.

But the biblical model in Ephesians 5 is based on the ideal love of Christ for the Church, and the Church’s submission to Him. Our commitment to God and our spouse leads to the clear understanding of what submission can be in marriage.

The marriage manual

Money problems, medical problems and everyday life can cause stress in marriage. Having the best advice to handle these problems can make them easier to deal with.

God’s Word gives us the answers to any problem we may encounter, either directly or in principle. There are examples of those who have gone before us showing the right way and the wrong way. The books of Proverbs and Ecclesiastes, for example, are words of wisdom that can strengthen and encourage us.

Taking the commitment seriously

The couple’s reply to our email came as my husband and I sat on the front row watching them being joined together as husband and wife. As they repeated their vows to each other, he promised that he would esteem her, honor her and never leave or forsake her. She promised that she would honor him, respect him and submit herself to him in the fear of the Lord.

My heart was filled with joy to know that they take the marriage commitment seriously!

For more about the biblical principles of marriage, see the section on the Life, Hope & Truth website on “How to Have a Happy Marriage.”

Chant’a Collier and her husband, Rodney, attend the Atlanta, Georgia, congregation of the Church of God, a Worldwide Association.