And They Will Become One Flesh

My facebook post today:

"31 years ago today I married the love of my life~our love only grows sweeter with time. It's worth it to work through and push through those earlier years when two flesh clash and clang together in their efforts to become one. It is soooo worth it! To God be the Glory!"

God tells us in Genesis 2:21-24,

"But for Adam no suitable helper was found. So the LORD God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took of the man's ribs and closed up the place with flesh. Then the LORD God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man and he brought her to the man. The man
said, 'This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh;
she shall be called woman, for she was taken out of man. For this reason a man [and woman] will leave his [her] father and mother and be united to his [her] wife [husband] and they will become one flesh."

I believe that as we marry and are united with our life mate the process of becoming one flesh is begun. It's spiritual. It's physical. It's mental. It's emotional. Becoming one flesh is a lifetime of learning to love your mate more than yourself and living that love out in a vast array of ways. It can be a hard beginning, two distinctly different human beings learning to let go of our own selfish selves in an expression of love for another person. That doesn't mean we lose our individuality, but allow room for the other into our being. In the process we become fuller and richer individuals. It is ultimately a beautiful gift and process designed by the LORD God. It is also a process that is facilitated, enabled, and empower by the LORD God as we submit to Him.

When Kerry and I were married, I was given this poem by one of my grandmothers.

Take a lump of clay.
Wet it, pat it.
Make a statue of you
and make a statue of me.
Then shatter them,
clatter them,
add some water
and break them
and mold them
into a statue of you
and a statue of me.
Then in mine, there are bits of you
And in you there are bits of me.
Nothing ever shall keep us apart.

She added, "If you don't understand it now, keep it and in later years it might mean more to you. I hope you two will be happy. I know you are both wonderful people, both of you will have to work at making a good life together. Married life is not a one sided thing, but as you go through life and as you grow older life should grow better. I have high hopes for you."

She was right =)