Happy?

Marriage is a divine institution that remains a mystery to many. The apostle Paul spoke of the mystery of marriage in Ephesians 5, and included, in my opinion, the main ingredients to happy marriages. First and foremost, being followers of God and walking in love spoken of in the first verse I believe is foundational and is the difference in happy and unhappy couples. The love that is commanded for us to walk in is the God kind of love that is daring, radical, and sacrificial. This particular demand was put on the men to love their wives as Christ loves the church and gave is life for it. Also he is to love her as she if she was his own body which in fact she is. When a believer is fully persuaded to go thoroughly and holistically in the love walk and emulate Abba, then the holy union will have the authentic substance of faith, and grace that makes the metamorphosis of a pleasurable marriage.

 The second ingredient spoken was submitting to each other. When I located the word submit in the Greek is hupotasso it referred to subjecting, obedience, and subordination. (Strong, 1990) I noticed that the demand was given both ways, to wives and husbands which eliminates the traditional chauvinistic point of view. To me, this is a great example of checks and balances as it pertains to matters of the blessed union. The root hupo refers to being under place, and tasso arrange in orderly manner. These are positions both parties should adhere to in their particular roles and do it as unto the Lord. Understanding one’s role, expectation, and responsibility to God and spouse allows the gray areas to be eliminated leaving little room for speculation and prevalence in accountability.

The last ingredient is the mystery. I looked that word up also, and in the Greek it is expressed as to shut the mouth, secret. I believe this is powerful, because a lot of times we constantly, talk about our marriages to our coworkers, our neighbors, our families, and even strangers. We talk to all those people except to the one who really needs to hear it, our spouses. If we would treat our marriages in such as a secret society, brotherhood, and sisterhood, swearing our allegiances, loyalty, and trust then we, the body of Christ would have more successful marriages.