Two Made One

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tomorrow, I will be present at the wedding of a wonderful couple, and they will become one flesh. No, really. In that moment when they are pronounced as husband and wife, God will do something. And they two shall become one.

Please enjoy this posting of a parable about that oneness that God so cherishes between a husband and a wife. (Click on the "Read More!" link below)
In the beginning, you see, she was like many of her friends who were also young Christian wives. She would sometimes bitterly complain about her husband’s mistakes and flaws, whether perceived or real.

But then one day, a slightly older, wiser Christian wife took her aside. Lovingly, she told the young wife that she would have to change her attitude for the good of her marriage. “When you are bitter against your husband,” the older wife said, “You must look at him as God’s son, not as your husband, and you must pray and ask God to help His son with his problems.” The older wife explained that looking at things this way would give the young wife peace.

This was a wonderful revelation to the young wife. She took the older wife’s words of wisdom to heart and practiced them. Her marriage prospered. But she found after a while that, even though she was praying in this new way, her heart was again becoming bitter toward her husband.

She struggled for some time, not knowing what to do. Then, one day, she was praying for her husband. “You need to help Your son, Father,” she prayed. And God said to her, “You shouldn’t talk that way about yourself.”

Puzzled, and thinking that she may not have heard Him right, she again prayed, “Father, I mean that You need to help Your son.” And again God said to her, “Daughter, you shouldn’t talk that way about yourself.”

Becoming somewhat frustrated, the young wife prayed, “No, Father! He’s the one with the problem. You need to correct him!” God paused, and then quietly spoke from His Word to his daughter.

“For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh.” (Ephesians 5:31)

“You are complaining to me about yourself, daughter“, God said. “You shouldn’t talk that way about yourself, because I love you today, just as you are. And I love you enough to not leave you that way.”

From that day forward, the young wife prayed differently, having learned at the feet of her Heavenly Father. From that day forward, she prayed for both herself and her husband in one breath, for she knew that God had made them one.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In Genesis 1:26(a)-27, the Bible tells us “And God said, Let us make man[kind] in our image, after our likeness,” “So God created man[kind] in His own image, in the image of God created He [mankind]; male and female created He them.”

So man and woman, together, are the image and likeness of God.

So important was this oneness to God that He even gave the man and the woman one name, Adam. "Male and female created he them; and blessed them, and called their name Adam, in the day when they were created. (Genesis 5:2)

We are told that “men and women are just wired differently” or “husbands and wives just can’t understand each other.” Yet if God has truly made a man and a woman, in essence, the two halves of His image and likeness, there is something we must consider.

Unless the left half of God argues with the right side of God; unless the right side of God “just doesn’t understand” the left side of God; all these claims of insurmountable differences between Christian husbands and wives are incorrect.

If you are a married person of faith, I hope that when you finish reading this writing you will look across the room at the very special person with whom God has made you one. I hope you will show them just how much you cherish that.

And I hope you will pray for them and yourself in one breath, because God has made the two of you one.