Marriage is Ministry.

Photo credit: Arris Affairs

"Marriage is ministry." I first heard this phrase when listening to the commentary for my daily Bible reading. The more I thought about it, the more I found it true. Marriage is supposed to be our primary commitment in life, second only to our commitment to Christ. And if marriage is supposed to image Christ and the church (which I believe it is), then marriage should include service, for Christ gave all.

So what does mutual ministry look like in marriage? It's not black and white. And most of the time, it's not as glamorous as people make it out to be. Sometimes it's cooking dinner, eating alone, and keeping the food warm for my husband when arrives home well afterward. Sometimes it's the ministry of presence sitting together on the couch as we both work on our laptop computers. Sometimes it's him holding me when I cry. Sometimes it's doing that extra chore because I know it will bless him. And sometimes it's allowing him to do something for me because doing so will bless him. Ministry in marriage varies every day, day by day.

Marriage is about growth and sanctification. Therefore, ministry in marriage is definitely not cut and dry. That's why we need Christ as our Savior and model. Because we can only truly serve each other in His strength. And we need his ministry of salvation and redemption before we can truly minister to others. But when we minister to others, especially our spouses, it grows us in ways we couldn't imagine, closer to God and closer to each other. In that way, marriage is a ministry of God to us!