A Promise is a Promise: What Marriage Really Means
This year my husband and I celebrated 29 years of married life. When he returned from three weeks overseas with the Army, I met him at the airport and we took the weekend to meander down the Coast.
But that isn't what marriage is about.

Our vows, though common to many weddings, have great meaning.

"I, ___, take thee, ___, to be my wedded husband/wife, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do us part, according to God's holy ordinance; and thereto I pledge thee my faith [or] pledge myself to you."

When we said our vows on that day 29 years ago, we had no idea where that promise would take us. But we promised we would fulfill it.

What does that mean?
In an era where promises aren’t kept, words aren’t important, life is lived on feelings —we promised each other our lives.

Even though words are important, actions are too.
Saying “I love you” doesn’t mean much without showing me that you do.

When I said, “I do,” that means I abandoned my desires, my career, my family, my everything—to support him in what he must do. 

That means when I don’t understand what he must do, I support him anyway.
Even if I’m not sure I agree with him.

That means I just sit with him, because he values time and my presence, even when I can think of 100 other things to do.

That means he listens to a lot of words, because I must talk things out. And I must hear for the feeling behind his few words.

That means we won’t always communicate well, but we can communicate kindly.
His perspective is definitely not mine. If it were, we’d both probably be wrong, and one of us would not be needed. I’d rather be needed and loved. He’d rather be respected and valued. We listen and learn.

That means, when I am right and he is wrong, I follow his leading, and trust God to keep us right. Because by obeying, I remain under his protection. God honors that.

That means life’s ebbs and flows must be taken with courage and encouragement. No man can fight the world’s battles for long when his home is not a haven. And he isn’t supported by someone who knows him. Nor can a woman feel appreciated without encouragement.

That means he protects, provides and leads.
But by protecting, he tells me things I do not want to do, but must do, or he cannot protect.
By providing, I must allow him to provide; for he cannot, if I’m busy with my own career.
By leading, I must follow. For without a follower, he cannot lead.
By allowing him to do his job, I am free to do what I must do: be his helpmeet.
This models to our children what Christ wanted the Church to do: obey Him.

That means sickness makes us vulnerable. We protect each other, not share the other’s shortcomings with others.

That means health can make us proud, forgetting we need each other and God. We are cautioned to remember both.

That means children can either unite us together to raise and train them, or tear us apart by my refusal to obey my husband. For if a family is divided, how can it stand?

That means for better or for worse. 
That means even if my husband pursues something I didn’t plan at the time of the wedding, I support him. Even when it takes time, energy, finances, . . . away from the family. It is his ministry, so it is mine as well.

That means, the two shall become one.
I don’t understand how God makes two people one, but without my husband, I am nothing.
Without his encouragement, I falter.
Without his support, I lose heart.
Without his guidance, I lose focus.
We, together, travel down the same road toward being one with Christ.
And on that road, God makes us one, yet each accountable to Him for our own obedience.

Maybe those trips along the coast do show what marriage is about.
A promise is a promise.
But as we fulfill that promise, God helps to complete us.

I write about what matters...to you---
women, wives and moms---
about your family, faith and future.
I write about what's hard, what helps and what heals.
I show you how it's done. And not done.
I hold your hand as you find what matters to the Savior.
And let go of those things that mattered to you, but not to Him.
I write about what matters...to Him.
               Sonya Contreras

Women's Roles
Find other articles about women's roles here:
The Sacrifice of Obedience
Why Boys Fight? And Is that Good?
Is Your Family Different?
Created for Him reprint
Gender Differences Backed by Science
What Should Men Do? reprint
Where Are the Men? reprint
What Is Man? reprint
Man VS Woman: Making Man Act Like a Woman
Man VS Woman: Is It Eqality We Seek? reprint
How Do You See Sin?
Marriage Is a Covenant before God
Are You Precious?
What's a Mother-In-Law To Do?
A Promise Is a Promise
Happily Ever After
Point Lobos, Monterrey
Where You Go, I Will Go
Protecting Our Men
What Makes a Marriage Work?
And the Two Shall Be One
Do You Let Your Husband Love You?
An Added Resource for You
Is Jezebel in Your Midst?
Can You Say, "No"?
Are You Losing Your Mind?
Expect Great Things from God
The Making of a Man part 4
The Making of a Man part 3
The Making of a Man part 2
The Making of a Man
What Kind of a Crown Are You?
Do You Like Your Husband?
Is Your Husband a Pushover?
Did You Marry a Crazy Man? 
Is Your Husband Crushing You?
Are You Dependent?
Male vs Female: Is It Equality We Seek?
Are You a Nag?
Do You Have a Picky Eater?
A Way to a Man's Heart Is through His Stomach
Are You Challenged by Your Man's Challenges?
Happily Ever After
Are You Appreciated?
Do You Feel Loved?
Valentine's Day: A Day for Love?
Valentine's Day: Help Your Husband Out

Submission
Created for Him
Do You Help Your Husband?
Made To Conquer

Women Working
How Much Does It Cost for Moms To Work?
How Much Does It Cost for Moms To Stay at Home?
Margaret Thatcher, She Changed the
    World, But What about Her 
    Family?

Biblical Manhood
Find more articles about Biblical Manhood here:
What Is Man?
Where Are the Men?
What Should a Man Do?

Biblical Womanhood
Find more articles about Womanhood here:
What Is Your Choice?
Letting Him Protect
Are You a Friend?
Who Controls the Money?
The Sacrifice of Thanksgiving: How 
   To Make Your Husband Love You
The Power of a Smile: How To 
    Make Your Husband Love You
Control
Superwoman: Is She Believable?