HOW TO HAVE A MARRIAGE MADE IN HEAVEN

"WHAT? We won't be married in heaven?" During our Sunday night Bible study a couple of weeks ago, some of us wrestled with a very sobering truth. According to Matthew 22:30, we will not be married in heaven. ("...at the resurrection we're beyond marriage. As with the angels, all our ecstasies and intimacies then will be with God" [The Message]. See verses 1-33 in its entirety. )
Now, that was hard to swallow. Obviously, since we spend every Sunday night learning how to love and respect our spouses (and having a great time being friends), marriage is precious to us. At the same time, we had established at the formation of our class that marriage is a divine mystery. In other words, we knew that our earthly marriage relationships are meant to serve as illustrations of a far deeper, more satisfying relationship with our Heavenly
Father.
So, it wasn't too far a stretch for us to think through this profound thought: submitting to each other in marriage is not about getting along with our husband or wife; instead, it is about submitting to God. In other words, our earthly lives are temporary (on the Kingdom calendar, they are not even a breath) and our marriage relationships are designed to make us one with our Heavenly Father.
Wow. As the girls sat in the living room pondering this huge and astounding truth, I knew most of us were close to tears. We were all thinking about the men we love, who were gathered upstairs for their own discussion in the game room (no, we haven't had the nerve yet to plant a recording device, but we'd give just about anything to know what they talk about!). The mood was somber. We were more than slightly blown away.

As good as this life seems at times (and as hectic/chaotic/monotonous at other times), we had been reminded that it absolutely pales in comparison to the glorious life we will know in heaven. Doesn't even hold a candle. This side of heaven is barely a taste of glory. Takes my breath away.


It's not about this world at all. What we see and hear and hold with our hands is only temporary. Including our marriages.

In light of all that, our highest calling is not to love or respect our spouse. It's far loftier than that. Instead, our calling is to love God. In a way, we must look past our spouse and into the eyes of the Lord. When we are irritated, we are to look into the eyes of God and love Him. When disappointments come, we are to look right past the one who let us down and into the gaze of the One who never will. When we are wounded, we are to look through the one who hurt us and fall into the arms of the One who was wounded for us. At all times and under all circumstances, He is to be the Love of our lives.










Funny thing, this thing called marriage. Like everything else, it's not about us. It's about Him.