Marriage: Is it for Holiness or Happiness?

I have been married now for 6 months, 19 days, and 7ish hours…

God’s grace is more beautiful.

His rest & peace is more appreciated.

His power & authority is more respected.

His love & acceptance is more welcomed.

His Word & Commands are meditated and heeded more.

Do you know why this is?

-       It is not because my marriage is perfect -

It is because God is always loving, sanctifying, and pruning me. Making me more Holy.

“Marriage is meant to make you h o l y  not happy. “

A friend shared this statement with me the other day, and I can surely testify to it!

Sure, my hubby makes me happy when he makes dinner for us after I have had a long day. BUT (marriage+God) = increased holiness in my life.

I have realized I am not very good at this wife thing…(yes, I know I have only been married for half a year)

But, Marriage is hard, confusing, and is even weird sometimes.

More than that I have learned, marriage is beautiful, sanctifying, and God glorifying!

I think since I have become a wife, I am appreciating God’s guidance much more…because I have NO clue what I am doing! It is brand new to me; this whole wifey thing. I am having to rely completely on the Lord’s sufficiency, and guess what he is MORE than enough each day.

Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God…(2 Cor. 3:5)

I have had to rely on the Lord and trust that he is going to show me how to walk through this new season of life. He has been so faithful to show me exactly what to do. Do I always obey like I ought? No, but his grace and love corrects me, and I continue to move forward.

Isn’t his grace so much sweeter when we realize how much we truly need it?

My prayer, as I move forward in my marriage, is that I keep allowing marriage to make me Holy, through the work of God’s hand.

If you are married or and planning on getting married, make holiness the goal of your marriage. God has told us to be holy because he, Himself, is the definition of Holiness.

…but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”

 1 Peter 1:15-16