marriage

My sister in law and I are reading together a book by John Piper on marriage. Here's a few quotes that stood out to me this week:

"Staying married is not mainly about staying in love, but about keeping covenant" p74

"It's meant to be a living drama of the covenant-keeping love between Christ and the church." p75

"When sin entered the world, it ruined the harmony of marriage not because it brought headship and submission into existence, but because it twisted man's humble, loving headship toward hostile domination in some men and lazy indifference in others. And it twisted woman's intelligent, willing, happy, creative, articulate submission toward manipulative obsequiousness in some women and brazen insubordination in others. Sin didn't create headship and submission; it ruined them and distorted them and made them ugly and destructive." p79

"Therefore, headship is not a right to control or to abuse or to neglect. (Christ's sacrifice is the pattern.) Rather, its the responsibility to love like Christ in leading and protecting and providing for our wives and families" p80

And as a wife, I have the incredible task of learning, experiencing, and modeling how to respond. How I respond to my husband shows the world how to respond to Christ.

In a lot of ways, marriage is still a mystery to me. And the road has had unexpected turns, twists, and dips. But, seeing the bigger picture...seeing what it could be...what it should model...gives me the motivation to engage. And enjoy the fruit.

By the way, I recommend the book, This Momentary Marriage. While Piper's teachings on God's glory has been a life changing lesson for me, I don't always agree with how he works it out. But, none the less, I love reading his stuff because he challenges me to think. This book is inspiring because it points marriage - the good, bad, and the ugly - back to God, and that makes it worth fighting for.