“A successful marriage requires falling in love many times, always with the same person.” ~ Mignon McLaughlin
One cannot be happy if he or she has chosen something while casting eyes on something else. You can see that in people who shop yet are not quite sure about what they want. They go to a shelf in a store and pick up an item. They put it down. They pick up something else. They put it down. They pick up the first item again and examine it. While holding it in their hands, they look at other items. This can go on for a long time. After a while, they may go to the counter to make their purchase. As they do so, they are casting glances back at the shelves, wondering if they are making the right choice.
Some do the same thing when they shop for cars. They go from dealer to dealer. After hours or days or weeks of searching, they finally make their decision and purchase a vehicle. The next day, they are looking in the paper to see if they missed an opportunity. They are never happy with their purchase because there might be something better out there.
Sadly, some people do this in marriage, too. They date and then marry a person but their eyes are always scanning for the one they missed. Sometimes they compare their spouse with other people they meet and think to themselves, “I could have done better. If only I had waited.”
Marriage is not about committing to someone until someone better comes along. Marriage is about committing to someone forever. Marriage is about making that person the sole attention in life. Marriage is about falling in love and celebrating that love yesterday, today, tomorrow, and forever.
Whenever anyone enters a marriage “until someone better comes along”, that person cannot possibly engage in true married life. We cannot split our affections with other contenders while being married to someone. The spouse needs to be the center of our attention and the center of our affection.
It is not easy, that much is true. The world is filled with a great array of people. Yet, committing oneself solely to another can help to complete oneself in ways that cannot possibly be imagined.
Here’s to all the people who got it right. To all those who committed themselves to their spouses and did not second guess themselves or look for another. To all who dedicate themselves to their love each and every day. To all realize that their spouses make them complete. God bless you all!
For those who did not get it right, to those whose eyes and hearts stray, to those who are afraid to commit or trust, say a prayer or two to God that they might be able to commit to their spouses and be complete.
FAITH ACTION: Pray that all married people will live in peace, harmony, and love with one another. Pray, as well, for those who suffer because their marriages did not work out or are not working.