RELATIONSHIPS: Good Idea vs God Idea

"There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end it leads to death." Prov. 16:25 (NIV)

Ministering to a man in 2005, to surrender his life to Christ so he would escape the perils of hell, he said "I can cope with hell, I am married"

Should this be the experience of everyone in marriage? Many people in marriage today are seeking way out and I wonder how they got into it in the first instance. To them, marriage has become bondage. I've heard it said, on several occasions that wedding ring is the world's smallest handcuff. Pitiful, isn't it? Where did that mentality come from? What about this, "there are three rings of marriage, engagement RING, wedding RING and suffeRING. Where are we going wrong on the marriage issue? Marriage is designed by God Himself to solve problems, not to create them. For help not for hurts. For companionship and complementing not for competition. For what's right not for who's right.

Apparently, humanity's problems began from man seeking the freedom of choice. And choosing a life partner is one of the most important choices of our lives. The greatest enemy of God's choice for us, when it comes to relationship, is not the devil, it's our own inclination to make a good choice for ourselves. At best, our good choice is good, but God's choice is always better.

To show how naïve we are on choice matter, the same reason for which we chose our partners today may be the same as why we don't want them anymore by tomorrow.

A man who chooses his wife because she's outspoken, social and meticulously detailed may become irritated of her qualities and become tired of listening once they are married. What he initially admired in her may now become the main reason he is trying to put her away.

A lady that chooses her husband because he is agile, vigorous and hardworking may start complaining of him coming home late and loving his work more than family. The same reason he was appealing before marriage has become the reason he is repelling in marriage.

We cannot not totally trust our senses, especially on the area of choosing who to marry. It is to our advantage to partner with God and let Him call the shots. You will save yourself from a lot of troubles if you allow Him to help you out in respect to who to marry. He created marriage, the Bible is eternally the manual that will help us enjoy it to the fullest. Quit leaning on your own intelligence, the harder you try, the deeper you're likely going to sink. Partner with God, don't do it alone.