Celebrating Marriage and our Relationship with Christ

Nevertheless, in the Lord woman is not independent of man nor man of woman [1 Corinthians 11:11]

Marriage. It has caused wars, unified nations, is the subject of court battles and long discussions among many as to whether in our time it serves any purpose, and if so, what purpose it serves.

It is always interesting to hear from married couples about how they met, how they knew that they had met that special someone, what makes the relationship work and what do they do to adjust to living as a unit.

For persons who have never been married, it is always a challenge as well as an enlightening experience to appreciate persons who have taken that step. Listening to the stories of how persons met, how they knew that they had found that special someone, the courting and getting to know the other person, it can feel a bit like our own relationship with meeting Jesus for the first time and getting to know Him, seeing as He already knows us.

This year the Mothers’ Union, as part of its ministry of strengthening and supporting marriage and family life, spoke with persons within our congregation who were either on the cusp of being married, were recently married, or who were in long term marriages. We asked them some basic questions (as we didn’t want to be too intrusive) and compiled the responses for the purposes of this article. As we get a glimpse into their lives, may we each take the opportunity to consider our own relationship with Christ, our Saviour.

The Couple in a Long -Term Marriage

Craig and Alex

Alex and Craig have been married for over 20 years and share 2 children. We asked them how they met, and their answer reads like a fairy tale! They met at a wedding of all places, but what was interesting was that they did not actually get an opportunity to speak at that time. Craig was a friend of Alex’s brother and saw Alex across the aisle. He was struck by her beauty and he asked her brother about her. This remind me of the many instances when Jesus was on earth when His disciples would ask Him questions about who He actually was. Alex eventually moved to a different city which so happened to be where Craig lived. As fate would have it, Alex was working in a shoe store when Craig walked in. They went on a date, had coffee in November of 1994 and got married in September of the following year. The story of Alex and Craig reminds me about Jesus meeting the woman at the Well. It wasn’t by chance that she was there at that time of the day. Jesus knew that she would be there and so He was there to meet her to have a relationship with her, to offer her living water which she accepted, and her heart was never the same. As in marriage, our relationship with Christ has Jesus waiting patiently for us too, but we might not always be quick to listen. May we open our hearts and minds to perceive Him, and to truly hear what He may be saying to us, wherever we might be.

The Newly-Engaged Couple

Many women will remember that time when their now husband asked for their hand in marriage. Many men are anxious about how to ask the question and many women wonder whether they will say yes if he proposes. In thinking about proposals, we recall the greatest proposal that has ever been made - God approaching a young Mary and asking her to be the Mother of His Son, Jesus. Mary said yes without hesitation.

Ann-Marie and Rayon were asked the question, how did he propose? Before that question was answered though, they provided some background as to how they met. Many of us remember how Christ came into our lives. For some it was when we were at our most vulnerable and the only place that we could look was up. For Ann-Marie, she was looking up. She was in her car looking up at the mirror and fixing her make up. Rayon saw her and felt that she was beautiful as she was and needed no make up. As Ann-Marie tells the story, after dating for some time, she knew when Rayon invited her to dinner at one of Cayman’s most exquisite restaurants that he was going to propose. She knew this would be the man for her and so she was prepared to say yes. She knew that she had found the man that she wanted to spend her life with and, like Mary, she had no hesitation in saying yes when he asked the question.

Once we have met Jesus and He has proposed a way forward in our lives, what is our response? Are we prepared to make the adjustments that come with saying yes? For many of us, it may be challenging to give up certain aspects of our sinful lives and to seek to put God first. We may also make mistakes along the way as we seek to build our relationship with God. These are considerations that are as relevant to marriage as they are to our relationship with God.

The Newly Married Couple

O'Dayne and Sabena

We asked O’Dayne and Sabena who just celebrated their first year of matrimony how have they been able to make the adjustments that come with sharing a life together. Turns out it wasn’t as hard as they thought it would be. The key words that were used by both of them were honesty – both with each other and individually, and communication, particularly when it comes to what each person is comfortable with and what their expectations are for each other. It also helped that they both shared the same values, having been brought up in similar ways.

In our own relationship with Christ, we must be willing to be vulnerable and honest and we have to communicate. How do we do that? We are honest when we do the hard work of introspection and self-examination, aided by the Holy Spirit, and accept the invitation to repent of our sins and turn towards God. We communicate when we pray – not being quick to enter into prayer with our own agenda, but with pliable hearts that are open to listen to God’s direction.

Our relationship with Christ can be likened to a marriage. It is a relationship that requires discernment and patience. It requires a period of adjustment, particularly on our end, as we learn to put God first. It requires us to be open, and to communicate from a place of honest introspection. Ultimately, it is a relationship that offers us the unconditional love that allows for genuine growth and transformation to take place.

Thank you to our wonderful couples who have shared their stories with us. May your relationship with God be supported in each other’s lives, and may you continue to grow together in your marriage.