Marriage after God
A marriage after God is one where the husband and wife are transparent with one another.
Transparency in marriage is like giving your spouse a flashlight and letting them explore the depths of your heart. Transparency is being honest with your spouse through the art of communication, talking to one another, sharing details of your circumstances, emotions, past, sins, and anything else that the Holy Spirit moves you to share. This is how a husband and wife truly get to know each other.
It may feel risky, and your flesh will be tempted to avoid this, but if you want to experience extraordinary intimacy with your spouse, be vulnerable with them. Let light cast off any shadows that may be lurking deep inside.
Being a husband and wife who walk in light with one another, refusing to walk in darkness, is how you and your spouse practice truth and experience fellowship with one another. Let 1 John 1:5–7 encourage you and guide you in this practice: “This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.”
A husband and wife after God are not only transparent with one another, but they are also a couple who actively engages with and are transparent with fellow Christians.
Proverbs 18:1 warns us, “Whoever isolates himself seeks his own desire; he breaks out against all sound judgment.”
People can be quick to justify why they don’t need to be a part of the body of Christ, or they convince themselves they are walking in community, yet they refuse to be transparent with those they are walking with.
Unfortunately, those who do not participate in Christian fellowship do not have the benefit of the body being near to encourage them through tough times, support them, serve them, or sharpen them. Isolation is disobedience and will hinder the ministry God has for you.
Transparency is rare in relationships today, but you don’t have to miss out on the benefit it provides in deepening your relationships.
Be someone who chooses transparency.
This excerpt is taken from Marriage After God by Aaron and Jennifer Smith.
Aaron and Jennifer Smith have been married for over twelve years and have four young children. They coauthored Marriage After God: Chasing Boldly After God’s Purpose For Your Life Together. (Zondervan) Ever since they married they have purposed to serve God and build His kingdom together. In 2011, they started blogging to encourage husbands and wives to center their marriage relationship on God. The newest addition to their ever-growing online ministry is their Marriage After God site, podcast, and book. On their podcast, Aaron and Jennifer share personal stories of failure and victory in Christ in hopes of encouraging other couples to be used by God for His extraordinary purposes. You can find them on social media @MarriageAfterGod.
Photograph © Kiwihug, used with permission
