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“For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh. So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate.”
Mark 10:7-9
“For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh. This is a profound mystery–but I am talking about Christ and the church. However each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.”
Ephesians 5:31-32
For what reason? That was the question in my mind as I read those oh-so-familiar passages. (You know how it is…just when I think I’ve finally “gotten” a particular passage of scripture, God shows me just how much more He has to teach me!) So, I went back to the original passage that these two reference, found in Genesis 2 so I could read that portion of scripture in context.
Here’s the reason: there was no suitable helper for Adam!
And so God made Eve from Adam’s rib. Where there was first just one, now there were two.
Miraculous.
Mysterious.
God-ordained.
The first marriage.
And then there’s this…
Eve’s first purpose: helping her man.
It’s not always glamorous, exciting or fun.
Sometimes it’s even thankless and difficult.
But we know that God’s ways are higher than our ways and his thoughts are higher than our thoughts.
So, helping our husbands must be God’s higher way. (I’ve never thought about it as a higher way before, although I’ve known it was God’s will.)
I help Robert all the time. As the years have passed, I have become better at it, even to the point of often anticipating what he needs without him having to ask. (You know what they say…“Practice makes perfect!”)
The other night, I got a little glimmer of the beauty of God’s plan for marriage.
Robert told me that we are like two puzzle pieces that fit together perfectly.
To me, that was such a compliment. Because I feel the same way.
This made me think of “two becoming one flesh.” Just like a puzzle, where smaller pieces come together to make one complete, cohesive image.
But, that hasn’t always been the case. We’ve had our fair share of difficult times. Times when it seemed that nothing “fit” quite right and I wondered if it ever would. (Now, I know that’s just a flat-out lie from the enemy!)
But God has, as always, shown Himself faithful. He’s honored my less-than-perfect efforts to be Robert’s helper. He’s forgiven me when I’ve sinned and repented. My Heavenly Father has answered my prayers for myself and my precious husband. And He still does.
If you’ve ever found yourself wondering if everything will really “fit,” let me hold out hope to you:
“Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.”
“So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.”
Hang in there, my sweet friends and fellow imperfect wives! Keep hoping. Keep believing God’s promises. Keep obeying His commands. There are many rewards coming, large and small. Keep your eyes open to see them because many of them will come when you least expect them and if you’re not tuned in to look for them, you might miss those little treasures.
~Rebecca
