What a Marriage Should Be Based on
Christianity, Designed to Impact, Family, Holy life, Priorities, Relationships
In August my husband and I reached a milestone in our lives: 25 years of marriage. I got married when I was very young, I didn’t have a much time to properly prepare for married life. But I knew it for sure: I was chosen by God and wanted to completely devote my life to Him. I always thought it would be like that: if I got married, I would do it because of love and a person who was also entirely devoted to God. These were my values that I was 100% sure about.
My Vitya matched an image of an ideal man in my eyes. There were a few things that attracted us to each other, but spiritual values were core in our relationship. That is an understanding of who we are in God, what we were created for, what mission and what mark and legacy we should leave. In our family, that always has been and is a key, fundamental cornerstone that we are building our family on. This helps us walk through all the difficulties, winds and storms. It is important to focus on what is God’s calling for us and unite our lives with those whose ways don’t go in conflict with this.
Our family is founded on principles from a well-known Bible verse: 1 Peter 2:9: “But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.” Thinking about the words of the Scripture, I saw some very important points that revealed a brighter and clearer picture of this God’s promise and confession into our lives. “But you are a generation”: I see an entire life between these words. It was always God’s will for us to think in the scope of His Kingdom, for us to know who we are and remember that our “generation” is a chosen one. Not only us but also generations after us are set apart and chosen by God. We are chosen by God Himself. Realizing this truth gives us confidence, boldness and reveals our true value. It is revealed to us how God sees us. The great God who created the Universe has chosen me personally, my family and generations after me to serve Him. By making decisions in personal life, we realize that the consequences affect our entire generation. I’m truly happy that even before our children were born, God has already revealed to us who we are, why we are living and where we are heading to. Now we have understanding and vision where we are leading our family.
Another promise from the Word is that we are “royal priesthood.” Royal priesthood refers to high standards of a priesthood. Every one of us is a priest but not all belong to royal priesthood. God has set the bar high for us and our family. Royal priesthood is when our words meet the actions. We are a “holy nation.” God has called us to live in holiness. Faithfulness in the family is one of the qualities of holiness. We cannot be holy and unfaithful and it is impossible to be unfaithful and holy. Holy is to be set apart for a certain individual and a special goal. It’s very interesting that the Scripture says that we are the “people”. It may seem obvious but it contains a very important message. We should stay human in marriage: to remember that we are not perfect as well as our spouse. We need to forgive, show mercy, believe, hope and love: in other words, to be human.
We are also “His own special people” chosen by God for a certain goal and mission. We belong to God. We are called and chosen “to proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.” I always knew that I was called by God. God has called me and my house out of the darkness and into His light. His Word showed me the way and lit up this way. I’m born to proclaim my God. To proclaim and do His great work on this earth. My entire family, my entire generation are also chosen, and the testimonies what the Lord has done and chose our generation to be His priests on this earth will be passed from generation to generation.
This is God’s promise for every family. Moreover, this is God’s calling for every one of us. He sees us holy, kings and priests, chosen and set apart and able to fulfill His will on this earth. This is who we are thanks to the blood of Jesus who clothed us in His clothes and equipped for great works.
- Pastor Olga Muzichuk