CLEAVING AND COMMITMENT
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Here is what I wrote:
I got the excerpts below from the devotional Moments Together for Couples, a devotional from Crosswalk.com. The writers of the devotional are Dennis and Barbara Rainey. This particular devotional is dated May 21.
"Genesis 2:24
For this cause a man shall leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave to his wife; and they shall become one flesh."
"A lot of people have taken romance to the classified ads these days.
xxx
That's the way a lot of people are today. Their commitments are about six miles wide and one inch deep. One reason why we have lost romance in our relationships is we don't understand commitment, and we don't practice it in everyday life.
xxx
When God calls a man and woman to "cleave" to one another, He means for them to make a lifelong covenant that could only be broken by death. They leave one relationship (with their parents) and establish a total dependence and commitment to a new person.
Commitment enables two people to get to know each other and to work through life's difficulties when they face them. If you don't have commitment, you're going to find a way out of that marriage relationship. Today it's easier to get out of marriage than it is to get out of a record club."***
I like this particular devotional because it talks about "cleaving". It's a word that some people can't seem to understand. The above devotional clearly says that "cleaving" means "leaving one's relationship from his/her parents and establishing a total dependence and commitment to a new person". This is a word that not only the couple should understand but the parents as well. Especially the parents. But sometimes, parents still give orders or insist their ideas to the couple when it comes to decisions; not only the major ones but even the minor ones. Some parents do it in a subtle manner. Some do it in a blatant, almost embarrassing manner. It's really annoying when other people seem to schedule your life for you. Well, it's not only annoying but it's also unbiblical and unchristian-like. I'm not saying that married couples should disrespect their parents and totally ignore their advice. There's a difference between "giving advice" and "meddling". Married couples should respect and love their parents. But the parents should understand that the couple have a life of their own now. Of all people, parents should understand this best because, many years ago, they were also a "newly married couple" or a "young couple".
I'm just thinking out LOUD!
I got the excerpts below from the devotional Moments Together for Couples, a devotional from Crosswalk.com. The writers of the devotional are Dennis and Barbara Rainey. This particular devotional is dated May 21.
"Genesis 2:24
For this cause a man shall leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave to his wife; and they shall become one flesh."
"A lot of people have taken romance to the classified ads these days.
xxx
That's the way a lot of people are today. Their commitments are about six miles wide and one inch deep. One reason why we have lost romance in our relationships is we don't understand commitment, and we don't practice it in everyday life.
xxx
When God calls a man and woman to "cleave" to one another, He means for them to make a lifelong covenant that could only be broken by death. They leave one relationship (with their parents) and establish a total dependence and commitment to a new person.
Commitment enables two people to get to know each other and to work through life's difficulties when they face them. If you don't have commitment, you're going to find a way out of that marriage relationship. Today it's easier to get out of marriage than it is to get out of a record club."***
I like this particular devotional because it talks about "cleaving". It's a word that some people can't seem to understand. The above devotional clearly says that "cleaving" means "leaving one's relationship from his/her parents and establishing a total dependence and commitment to a new person". This is a word that not only the couple should understand but the parents as well. Especially the parents. But sometimes, parents still give orders or insist their ideas to the couple when it comes to decisions; not only the major ones but even the minor ones. Some parents do it in a subtle manner. Some do it in a blatant, almost embarrassing manner. It's really annoying when other people seem to schedule your life for you. Well, it's not only annoying but it's also unbiblical and unchristian-like. I'm not saying that married couples should disrespect their parents and totally ignore their advice. There's a difference between "giving advice" and "meddling". Married couples should respect and love their parents. But the parents should understand that the couple have a life of their own now. Of all people, parents should understand this best because, many years ago, they were also a "newly married couple" or a "young couple".
I'm just thinking out LOUD!
_________________________
ADDENDUM : If the in-laws meddle with their children's marriage, it might actually cause a rift between the couple, more so if the in-laws are "taking sides".
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