The perfect marriage

How many times in your life have you heard someone say (or perhaps said it yourself), "theirs is a perfect marriage" ?  If you heard someone say that, or said it yourself, did you feel perhaps just a little twinge of envy or wanting?  Did you automatically compare your own marriage to that situation?

Here is one of the best definitions I have heard on what a perfect marriage is:


















You see, in 3 short paragraphs, we find that there is no such thing.  There are good marriages, great marriages, and unfortunately bad marriages.....but there is no such thing as the perfect marriage.  It's impossible.  Each partner in the marriage is a unique individual, unlike any other.  Each comes into the marriage with some baggage, and often during the marriage more baggage is added.  There are a gazillion books about marriage, and a lot of psychobabble has been spewed over the years about how to achieve success in marriage and making the most of your marriage.  But all that aside, we all know that at times marriage

• is NOT easy,
• takes a lot of work
• takes commitment
• will not always be fun
• is not the fairytale life it is often made out to be
• gets tiring and boring at times
• requires compromise
• needs openness and transparency.

I would also suggest that the strongest of marriages will have God at the center of it.  That's because there is a marriage instruction manual that is all about God:

 



Don't bemoan the fact that yours isn't the perfect marriage.  Cherish the thought that it's a lifelong journey for two people whose commitment is to each other and a life in Christ....no matter what comes to stand in the way.  It's so much easier to overcome obstacles when two are doing it.