Today, Orin and Erin celebrate their 14th wedding anniversary! Here’s a photo of them on that fateful day.
Marriage, as a sacrament, can be described lots of different ways. Here are a few ways that I (Orin) like to think about it.
1 – By marriage, I am saying to my spouse that one of my life’s tasks is to make sure she gets to heaven. That can take a lot of different forms, of course – helping her avoid sin, urging her to pray, etc.
2 – By marriage, I am saying to my spouse that her needs come first, over mine. This facet is of course a difficult one for most any married person to live; I am no exception. But, if I am to show the world by my marriage that I love Erin the way Christ loves us, I must be willing to sacrifice my very self for her.
3 – By marriage, I am saying to my spouse that I want to bring forth life with her. While we have not been blessed with children (not yet anyway, nor do we suspect anything at the moment), there are lots of ways that we bring forth life, both with each other and in the world. In fact, I’ve often wondered if perhaps the many ministries in the Church I have, especially with youth, are not more possible because of my particular family circumstance.
If you have a person in your life to whom you are married – or are considering that step with – might I suggest you take a moment to think on and pray with the three facets above, and see what the Lord might be calling you to next in your relationship.