Dig It Deep

A Cistern holds as much as its size allows

God wants your marriage to be joyful. He wants it to succeed. When Jesus came He faced a society much like our own in how they treated marriage. Jesus took the time to correct the common thinking of the day and reinstate God’s original design. Read Matthew 19:1-9 and pay attention to the simplicity of what God intended.

Since God wants you to have a successful marriage (if you have chosen or will choose to marry), we can expect the Bible to say something about how to have a happy marriage. That’s exactly what we see. In fact, there is so much that we will just look at one idea.

Proverbs 5:15-19 is a great passage to look at for marital advice. The passage begins with “Drink water from your own cistern” and ends with, “always be enraptured with her love.” Love in a marriage is like an underground reservoir made to hold rainwater. It holds as much as its size allows, so build a large one by building a solid marriage.

The symbolism of the passage represents the happiness that a spouse can bring. The advice is to cherish what you have. If we will appreciate our spouses and the love of our spouses, then we will help bring happiness to the home. For a reference, look at a little more detail in a post about husbands appreciating our wives.

Like all other parts of love, the decision to treasure your spouse is first a decision. You must make the decision to find the good in your spouse and treasure it. It’s not going to cure every problem you have, but it will serve as a great foundation upon which to build.

Chances are great that you were not forced into marriage. If you have difficulties, remember the things that attracted you to begin with. Choose to become enraptured again. Find the things about your spouse that are good and lovely. Your marriage is the cistern that can hold vast quantities of love for you. Drink from it.