I believe it is no accident that when we turn the pages of the Bible, we read about the lives of men and women who followed God with their families. I believe that the Bible has a design to it. I believe that God intended us to notice that when He calls an individual to do His will, He calls entire families. It’s not just about an individual obeying the commands of God but the whole household submitting to the plan of God and serving together.
A man who can follow God into war but not follow God’s commands in marriage is destined for failure. Too often, people sacrifice their marriages for the sake of career, hobbies, and legacies, and some sacrifice their marriages because of pride, sin, and addictions. God does not intend for us to choose one or the other. God does not want us to lose track of our marriages for the sake of earthly pleasures or gain. God wants our marriages to be tremendous blessings to ourselves and to others. Our marriages need to be used as tools to reach and teach others about God’s design for the home and family.
Abraham and Sarah serve as beautiful examples of what it means to follow God in their marriage. From their marriage, we learn what it is to have a purpose. To have a purpose in your marriage is to understand your “why.” Abraham and Sarah are just like us. They have their mistakes, failures, successes, and celebrations; however, they learned to serve God together no matter what.
When God called Abraham, He called his whole household. Genesis 12:5 says, “Abram took Sarai his wife and Lot his nephew, and all their possessions which they had accumulated, and the persons which they had acquired in Haran, and they set out for the land of Canaan; thus they came to the land of Canaan.” They had a family commitment to serve God. It was not just something Abraham did. It was his whole family.
Your family may have all kinds of different hobbies, careers, and activities that are different from each other. Your wife may like the beach while you enjoy the snowy mountains. Even our personalities can and are often different (because opposites attract). You might be an introvert, and your husband might be extroverted. Nevertheless, even in the differences, we all need to serve God together as a unit. Abraham and Sarah did many different things, but they always did them together.
Your marriage needs to find its why today. Why are you married? Love, sex, money, companionship? All can be good and useful. But you need to start viewing your marriage as a way for you to serve God together. Find your “why.”
I love you,
Alex