Saving Yourself for Marriage
Saving Yourself for Marriage (a guest post by Megan Wright)
Modern society is constantly beckoning for us to do more and be more.
We are a busy generation and are regularly worn out from our own best efforts. Not being sensitive of our time and our personal limitations impacts our marriages. We readily give of ourselves to our children, our jobs, our community and a variety of other things but our marriage? Often times our spouse gets the leftovers. We don’t save ourselves for marriage.
In order to maximize our time and recognizing we can’t do it all, my husband and I often encourage couples to focus on just three key areas in order to experience a thriving relationship.
Friendship –
Marriage is about Friendship. Learning to enjoy time spent with your spouse is not just a worthwhile pursuit it is essential. The biblical precedent is set with this lovely phrase:
“This is my beloved, this is my friend.” (Song of Songs 5:16)
Take time to get to know your spouse and learn how to enjoy your time together. Laugh together. Play together. Love together. I’ve heard it said, “One of the best ways to protect your US is to enjoy your US” and I couldn’t agree more.
Unity –
Marriage is about “oneness” (Genesis 2:24). Through the gift of marriage, God has given us the opportunity to encourage and support our spouse, to help them become the person God made them to be. There is also the opportunity for our spouse to do the same for us.
When we see the good in our spouse and call it out we are creating unity in our marriage. Praying for our marriage, letting go of what easily offends, learning how to communicate with love, clarity, and grace. Each of these areas may take years of growth steps, but they ultimately lead to a healthy and vibrant unity in our marriage.
Intimacy –
This is far more than just a physical aspect. God desires for our mind, body, and soul to be intimately known in marriage. A way of looking at that word can be, “In – to – me – see.” Cultivating and practicing vulnerability, trust, and the freedom to be different are all pathways towards increasing intimacy in your marriage.
Marriage is for life. If we regularly neglect putting the required time and effort into something so important, what is designed to be beautiful will become a burden. What is meant to be lifelong friendship and companionship will become forced cohabitation.
So yes, saving yourself for marriage is not just for unmarried people, it’s for those of us who are already married too.
Megan Wright was a guest on The Whole House podcast! You can find it here or listen below!