Potential of Marriage

So, I want to be very open and honest about my feelings for this week’s topic. In class we discussed sexual intimacy. Well, more on martial intimacy but I’ll get to that later.

If I am being completely honest with myself, I don’t think I every really formally learned about sex. I would be able to gather information or discern from different contexts, but it seemed to generally come from the media.

I was taught that sexual intimacy is reserved for a man and woman who were lawfully and legally married. I also knew that it was a very sacred thing, that it is a Godly power. So therefore, I knew how important it was to live a virtuous and chaste life. I knew that I wanted to save my self for marriage and that was very important to me.

However, after this lesson I firmly believe that the media has distorted my views and thoughts on sex. Which I knew before this week’s lesson, the adversary has worked very hard to make this a weapon of evil. Which truly terrified me. As excited as I was to share this with my husband, and to become closer and one with each other I was so scared.

But I couldn’t really figure out why. Because deep down I knew that this comes from God. That He has given us the ability to participate in creation. It can be a beautiful and sacred experience. So why was I so terrified?

I don’t’ think it really had to do with sexual intimacy at all. I mean it was something new and different and that in of itself can be a little scary. But I feel like I was more scared to completely give myself to another person.

In a scripture from The Old Testament in Genesis chapter 2 in verses 18 it says, “And the Lord God said, it is not good that man should be a lone; I will make him an help meet for him.” Then Later in verse 24 it says, “Therefore shall a man leave his father and mother and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.” The idea of abandoning my role as a child terrified me. And I don’t mean that I wanted to live with my parents forever or live like I am 11. I mean abandoning the idea that I need to cleave to my husband. That I had the responsibility to not rely on my parents like I once did.

In Websters dictionary it defines cleave as “to adhere firmly and closely or loyally and unwaveringly.” As much as I desired to cleave to my husband that idea scared me, and I think because it made me so vulnerable.

Which again I think came because of a worldly influence. Because someone can love and admire you one day and be gone in the next. Or maybe it was only physical or because it was convenient. But that didn’t line up with the believes and knowledge I had about how God views marriage.   

Because I know that life’s greatest joys are found in the family. I know that strong relationships require effort and discipline. I know that when a marriage is pure, the husband and wife are equals where neither one dominates over the other. We are a “help meet” for one another.

In the Bible dictionary it teaches that the word meet means, “fitting, proper, qualified, and suitable.”  And I think that is beautiful. For me I learned this week that marital intimacy is more than just sexual. But it is being qualified to help one another. That in a marriage you are properly fitted and suitable to support and assist one another.

It is such a beautiful blessing we are able to be apart of. I am grateful that I have a loving husband that I can cleave unto. That I can rely and unwaveringly turn to for anything. A quote I heard in class was along the lines of “this is the man that I promised God that will love, support, and help through all of his challenges.” And that I feel can sum up what marital intimacy can become. A two way street of love, support, help and growth together as one.