God's Design For Marriage

Let’s clear the air and say it…Marriage is hard!

But why is it hard?

There are many reasons a marriage can be hard or difficult, but one of the main reasons might be because men and/or women aren’t “playing” the respective roles that God designed them to be in.

Genesis 1:26-28  says, “Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”

God created men and women equal. We are all blessed by God. We all are created in God’s image. We were all created to multiply and be fruitful. We were created to rule over the earth. Both men and women have the opportunity of redemption.

However, men and women are not equal in all respects. It’s pretty obvious when it comes to physical strength that most men are stronger than most women. Men process emotions differently than women. Men desire respect. Women desire love. Yes, we were created equal, but God designed us each to have unique roles, especially in marriage.

Genesis 2:18 says, “Then the Lord God said, ‘It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.’”

Eve was created to be a suitable match for Adam. None of the animals were matches because they were too different. God didn’t create another man for Adam because that would be too much like himself. God created a woman to correspond to man—to be a partner. God did not even create woman in the same way as He created man. God created Eve from the rib of Adam, not to show that she was less valuable or inferior, but to show that she was meant to correspond (be apart) of Adam.

Even the order in which God created man and then woman illustrates the roles that God intended for marriage. Man was created first; he is supposed to be the leader in marriage. It is his responsibility to lead his wife and family. But this isn’t an abusive role of leadership. A husband should recognize his wife as his equal, a partner, who is uniquely designed by God. And a wife should provide help and support to her husband so she can be a blessing to him. These roles, leader and helper, do not mean men are superior to women or women are inferior to men. It’s about two people, who were created equally, embracing the unique roles that God intended for marriage so that we can have a happy, healthy, and harmonious marriage! Afterall, this is what we all want, right?!

Next week, I’ll share more about our respective roles in marriage and the responsibilities that we have as a wife to our husbands.