Cleaving

I spoke with a dear friend late into the night about issues which appear, through mere human eyes, to be overwhelming. I listened and listened and listened some more then, offered my simple thoughts..... Marriage is such a personal covenant that no one can stand outside of the relationship and see why we bond with that person. We must honor that covenant and understand that our spouse isn't running for office, therefore, he shouldn't have to meet every expectation of all our friends and family. If they strive for now until God comes back, they will never see what we see in the one that we love. To cleave is to stick together, a promise we make at the altar before the Holy One. And the real secret to cleaving is leaving. "For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother...Mark 10:7. If we enter into marriage and still keep other options open, whether mental, emotional or physical, it will never work. We must leave those behind. When the tugging of adversity tries the bonds of the relationship, we will fall apart. We must leave and cleave to our spouse. We all rely on our wholesome and Godly friends but, it can be unhealthy to cleave to someone other than our mate for support. After God, our spouse should have more influence over us than anyone else. And it's not always just a matter of feelings. Roman 1:17 says. "For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, The just shall live by faith." It will not be our feelings that heal our relationships, it will be our faith. Our feelings will flow in and out like the tide but our faith never changes.