I heard a song today that made me think. The chorus repeatedly said, “I’ve got a hundred million reasons to walk away… But baby, I just need one good one to stay.”
I thought, “One-hundred million? What an exaggerator…”
Another thing I thought was, “One good reason is all you need? I can give you way more than that!”
Here are just the ones that come to my mind without deep consideration. Do you need one good reason to stay committed to your spouse? Well, here are seven.
- You aren’t nearly as awesome as you think you are. If your spouse puts up with you, then you should stay with that gracious person.
- Things never stay as they are. If you give up when times are hard, then you will never get to enjoy the wonderful benefits of life on the other side of difficult times.
- Marriage is an institution. Your marriage is not an isolated relationship, but marriage itself is a formal and divine institution. You owe it to the institution of marriage to stay with it.
- Marriage is not for your happiness; it is for your holiness and true joy. If you only do or experience those things that make you happy, then you’d never eat your veggies, brush your teeth, keep your job, or experience anything of real value. Happiness is fleeting, but marriage forces you to actually grow in humility and grace and gratitude and real joy.
- You promised! Remember when you said those vows in front of all your friends and family who gathered together to celebrate your union as husband and wife? You said that nothing but death would part you. Only a promise kept is a real promise, and you must keep your word.
- Jesus said you have to. This is the ultimate power play, but this is something that too many people take lightly. Jesus said that obedience to His commands is evidence of genuine love for Him. If Jesus is your Savior, then He is also your Lord (King, Ruler, Master). If you rebel against Him, then He will be your judge.
- Jesus promised that obedience to His commands will lead to your joy. If the threat of punishment and the fear of wrath doesn’t motivate you, then consider the reality that Jesus promised joy in obedience. Think about that! Jesus is God; therefore, He knows about everything, and He said that His rules are for your good. If you are really after your own good, your own joy, your own true pleasure, then trust Jesus’ words over your own foolish thoughts.
If you are thinking about throwing in the towel, or simply having a rough time in your marriage, then think deeply about these reasons and the many more there are for you to stay. While this life is full of pain and suffering of all kinds, there is true joy in Christ and in following Him.
May God grant us grace to know Him, grace to love Him, and grace to submit ourselves to His good and fatherly commands.
Holding the Line 