Two Shall Become One
I should have known something was up as soon as Bob said, “Here, Ben, you drive.” I was standing on the banks of the Mae Win River in Thailand with Bob and Betsy and four elephants. This adventurous couple wanted to get married on the back of a pachyderm.
We climbed on top of the creatures and I placed my toes behind the ears of the big beast I was riding. I pushed the elephant and into the river we went with a hearty “hi-yo, Silver. Away!” just like the Lone Ranger! We climbed a mountain on the back of these elephants, I did a wedding, and then we climbed down the mountain.
The adventure wasn’t over yet! We then got onto bamboo rafts and glided down the Mae Win River to the city of Chiang Mai. We feasted on a dinner of cobra and python steaks and celebrated the fact that if your marriage can survive elephants, you can survive anything! Take time today to remember that every marriage has struggles and large elephants to face. My advice is to face them head on together as a couple and then move on with your life.
No matter what the struggle is in your marriage, we are commanded to love and respect one another. Christ so loved the church that He gave Himself up for her. Likewise, husbands need to demonstrate that same depth of love for their wives, in the good and bad times. In turn, wives are to respect, honor and submit to their husbands as he seeks to follow Christ.
If you are struggling in your marriage today, sit down together as a couple and read Ephesians 5:33:
“However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.”
We choose every day to care for our bodies and to do those things that will be beneficial for us. We must realize that when we get married, two individuals suddenly become one. One spouse cannot feel pain without the other one being affected. The next time an argument arises, tempers begin to flare and problems seem insurmountable in your marriage, remember we can choose to love one another just like Christ chose to love us by sacrificing His life on the cross.
