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Tuesday, March 28, 2017

WHY GET MARRIED?



I often ponder the saga in marriages in this 21st century, they leave me perplexed. But all hope is never lost. 

…OMG! She looks like Cinderella |Groom’s so cute| Superduper lovely| Aww! I love her dress| I love this picture, wish its me| Congrats, cute babies loading... These are some of the comments, you’ll see, about wedding posts on social media. I know people (mostly females) who want to get married because of wedding pictures they see online, on social media platforms, the likes of bellanaijaweddings, Nigerianwedding, lindaIkeji etc. They see pictures and start daydreaming about how their wedding can hold as soon as possible with the whole settings in the picture. They tap and click on (depending on which social app) the ‘like’ button as many times as they want and start making comments like ‘why can’t someone like more than once sef’ (you relate with this right?). Only if you knew the stress and how much money went into planning that wedding.

Others see posts about proposals & pre-wedding pictures and wish they had a fiancé or fiancée like that. Some even wish for the same type of ring and the same environment for their dream spouse to propose to them. We easily get carried away by the physicals, things that are pleasing to the senses. Marriage is more than this!

On the other hand, I have interacted with people who do not want to get married because of various reasons; they either don’t want to make commitments or some say, “Ah! It’s too stressful ooo”. Others have said, “Abeg I want to have my freedom jare.” My response to this, in defining freedom, is that the person who is in a commitment is freer than you who has not made a commitment. You are wondering what this means exactly right. Yeah, don’t worry I’ll explain. Many people know the definition of freedom as the ability to do things on your own unconstrained; some say it is a Right. I do not disagree, but they fail to add the other part which is ‘…making decision(s) which is (are) right.’ Someone who is committed (who has a focus) already has a path he or she is following in life, so it is easier for that person to decide when decision time comes, if it fits or does not fit into their path. But for you who is still flexing around, you that do not have a goal or focus, whatever comes, you take. I hope you’ll be ready for the consequences of your flexing action. Please not, this is totally different from those who have decided and chosen to live celibacy (another topic for another day). Freedom is a gift.

Even the Holy books say a lot about marriage but I still want to continue on a natural level. Another misconception people have about marriage is that ‘there must be the reward of a child to proof the success of the marriage’. The capacity for procreation is God allowing us share in His creative power. Procreation is one of the reasons for marriage, they are blessings which come with marriage. If they do not come, it is not enough reason for you to think your marriage is a failure. These days, you find people who will not get married unless the lady is pregnant. Please this is not a solid reason for marriage. What will happen if the life of that child is lost, would your marriage be lost as well? The marital vow proclaimed during a marriage ceremony is the strongest bond of a covenant between a man and a woman in the presence of God. Nothing! and I repeat nothing!! should be the reason why two people would decide to want to break up their marriage except death, not even adultery is a reason. The highest form of action that can be taken with regards adultery is separation. The only reason, which is rarely the case, is if there was a false declaration of the exchanged marital vow. Maybe if one of the spouses made those declarations without meaning it or is not in a sane state of mind, which means there was never any union ab initio (from the beginning). Marriage is ‘Till death do us part.’
Marriage is a real supernatural calling. Marriage is a sacrament that makes one flesh of two bodies. Every home should be a place of peace and serenity.

The reason why I really want to get married is to have a COMPANION, someone you can build a family with. I need a complement, I need a help mate, I need a fellowship, I need a friendship, I need someone to be 100% free with, I need closeness, I need my missing rib to make me complete, above all, I need true love. Someone you are united and entangled with, together forever. Someone you can trust, one who can stand by you, someone who makes you happy and the list is endless. Find out who that person is, and when you have found out, allow the test of time to take its course before making that final commitment. Never forget to talk to the God about this. 

Tip off!
You are to complement your spouse and not make your spouse like you or expect a perfect person, we are all humans. No one is perfect; we create the perfection we want.
Sometimes, the feelings will die out, we would now have to use our head and not our heart. The solution to most, if not all, of the difficulties we face in life is TIME. Only God creates time.

God made time, but man made haste. ~Irish Proverb

Mr Seun Ogundipe

WK 7 DAY 2 - WHY DO I WANT TO GET MARRIED?



Hmmmm, why do I really want to get married? When Chichi asked me to write on this I smiled and told her this article will finally force me to answer myself. Marriage as a concept means a lot of things to different people and one of the meanings i nurtured for a long time was "a cage". Yeah!!! Each time I thought of marriage or saw a couple during their wedding all I felt was fear. My emotions would be a mixture of pity and dread. Like " Jesus...this lady is trapped, she now lives under the authority of this man. He dictates her every move and say". I sure as hell didn't envy that. To that end, I saw to it that the only courtship I had was with my books, few friends and Jesus...lol... 'I know I'm married to Jesus Satan leave me alone'. All of these seemed easier to carry on because i was quite young and marriage isn't a priority your parents demand of at that time.

 Fast forward to after youth service and returning home. It started like a joke, ' when are you getting married?' Then it graduated to a daily reality from parents, friends and well wishers. Ahhh... the crown of it was when i started buying aso ebi for Secondary School friends. My mother never ceased to emphasize that they are my mates. Marriage had left Social studies book and the altar to become my present hour reality. I wasn't envious of my friends getting married but that abstract word was beginning to take a real form in my very eyes.

 Maturity helped me realize marriage to the right person isn't a cage per se but it didn't help to eliminate the fear that comes with the thought of marriage. I do want to get married now but i don't want to do it for the wrong reasons. I don't want to get married to escape the pressures at home, neither do i want to do so because all my friends are getting married and I'm scared of losing out on the trend. I don't want to get married because im scared of ending up alone nor do i want to do it so society doesn't call me a failure.

 Eccl 4: 9-12 TLB "Two can accomplish more than twice as much as one, for the results can be better vs 10 if one falls, the other pulls him up; but if a man falls when he is alone, he is in trouble". I've prided myself in being independent but that's mainly out of insecurity. Fear that if i open up i will get hurt. But the word of God has groomed me these past  years, letting me know that if i walk by the Spirit my testimony will be from glory to glory. So for this course I'm finally going to answer the question: why do i really wanna get married?

 As stated in Eccl 4: 9 I don't only want to accomplish but i want to do so tremendously. What better partner to embark on this feat than a soul mate ordained by God. As vs 10 explained, i know i might falter every once in a while in this journey called life but i know with the right person i will find solace, love and comfort to pull me back up. Vs 11 also - on a cold night, two under the same blanket gain warmth from each other, but how can one be warm alone?" Trust me, I have had enough of the cold  nights. I do not want the warmth that comes with sin and guilt so I'm patiently ticking with the clock for my cold night partner to arrive.

 Lastly as advised by Paul and Jesus, if you do not have the grace to withhold sin then do the available. It was easier to think i had the grace when i was much younger but growing up amidst many mistakes and shortcomings i think i will advice myself to listen to words of wisdom. I am still walking through the fear of marriage but now i have better reasons to overcome it.

Thanks a lot Chichi for making me finally answer this question to myself. All of the times I have meditated on it, this is the first time I am answering it.

Thanks again.

Omore.