Thoughts On Godly Marriage
by Michael Doyle

Healthy families serve as the best foundation
Bringing blessings to others and our nation
It is not  to put the horse before the carriage
To say that we should focus on the ways of marriage

We need to put aside thoughts of ball and chain
The master plot knows that good love is never in vain
We need to be more present in our assessment
Finding the good and not being stuck in resentment

Genesis, Chapter 1, a wedding is made to be ready
For a husband and wife to learn to love steady
After a theme of God's purposeful separation
Was made to join this husband and wife in preparation

God stood back, affirming that, after all, this is good
In understanding a man needs his helper, it's understood
We are not islands meant to travel this world alone
We to be together; we are not made from dust, not stone

God's plan is for humanity to be fruitful and multiply
Two are better than one, and live in love in faithful reply
To God's commandment to love Him and lead the righteous life
A good man is to love in full partnership with his wife

In our best interests, we know that all from God is good
We should pay attention to this as we truly know we should
Scripture speaks to marriage as the best practice supplied
The world's history has proven this successfully applied

Marriage is a wonder that our holy God has designed
As such, it is also to be by our God, rightly defined
Lived in reverence for Christ and in submission to one another
Always looking out toward the needs of each other

The race is to find the back of our love's line
Thinking of the other, and not only of what is mine
To love one another as ourselves is our finest role
This commitment, then, is our holiest of life's goals

The world may shift, but God's standards are high
It isn't a matter of simply, nimbly slipping by
There is nothing more healing than living by the gospel
That provides a model of marriage that truly compels

Radical service is coupled with radical sacrifice
This is what it takes in covenant and to suffice
In making marriage not a matter of crude consumption
But take these vows seriously and without presumption

Men are not to forcefully put their worse foot down
It's in laying our lives down that we earn love's crown
For some women, contention grinds agains pride
Picking the wrong person without potential and cannot hide

That these, then, are some of the tensions that are felt
That must be looked at as a strong marriage is built
For men, there is the pain of misplacement of priority
Forgetting patience is needed to absorb and grow our legacy

The best spouses that we can be is to be the Christian in thee
To never seek to compete but thrive in each other's possibility
It's an infusion of love that must be shared in patiently
While giving our full measure, always and intentionally

This side of Heaven, a righteous marriage is our mission
Filled with true love, as an example, lived by permission
To live godly with joy and the purest of our motivations
That can and do provide our children with divine inspiration

Every marriage is filled with mistakes, covered by grace
Each of these, we must take turn and lovingly embrace
Adjustments will be needed and shared along life's way
And our sincerity and focus through God's plan will win the day

(c) May 21, 2023   Michael Doyle
All Rights Reserved