The principles of a Christian-centered marriage

— By Richard Merritt

It was another lifetime, another century. The day was Feb. 17, 1931. During the hard times of the Great Depression, families in rural south Arkansas struggled to keep food on the table and clothes to cover the body.

Timber and cotton were the big cash crops. It wasn’t quite spring, but winter was mostly gone. It had rained a lot and travel was difficult whether by beast, wagon or T-model.

The wedding day for Lorena Glass and Novel McAteer was not like those of the present time.

Novel was truck-patching with his uncle, Jake Boswell. He promised to be at Lorena’s house at 6:30 p.m. to take her to the home of Mr. Plyler, the Justice of the Peace.

Plyler lived near Bluff City, the Glass family lived in the Caney community, and the McAteer family lived at Theo. Novel and Jake started their day with a truck load of vegetables. They had to go to Camden and other places to sell their inventory.

On their way back, they got stuck crossing a creek. They had to walk to a nearby house to get a chain and help to get unstruck. Daylight was gone, 6:30 p.m. was long past ,and Lorena was upset. Novel had not come. She went to bed in an ill humor.

Novel was trying his best to get there as soon as possible. After 11:0 p.m., he made it to the Glass home. Lorena was up quick as a flash and ready to go with him. They went to Plyler’s home, got him out of bed and he came out in the yard to perform the ceremony about midnight. Then they had miles to go to return to the Caney community where they made their home.

They were married for 70 years and one week.

Marriage is tough.

Young people need to realize it takes all the effort you can put into your marriage, and then some to hold on to each other. Novel and Lorena both knew God as their personal savior.

They faced many hard years—the rest of the depression, the war years of 1941-45 that included rationing, the death of their only son in 1958.

They did not give up on each other or turn their backs on God, even in the hardest of the difficult times.

A Christ-centered marriage requires several things to endure.

1) Jesus must be the foundation of the marriage relationship.

2) The husband and wife need to be humble and gentle in their dealings with one another.

3) Forgiveness is essential for a good marriage.

4) Spouses need to maintain good communication.

5) The husband and the wife must be willing to make sacrifices for the good of the other.

6) Intimacy must be a priority in the marriage.

7) A Christ-centered marriage continues to have hope in the Lord, regardless of circumstances or problems.

God’s Word reveals the Lord blesses a Christ-centered marriage.

“For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and cleave to his wife; And they twain shall be one flesh: so then they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.” (Mark 10:7-9 KJV)

What God joins together, God blesses.

Novel and Lorena were each other’s one and only all their adult lives. It never occurred to them to turn away from one another and seek a divorce. Young marrieds need to go to the Bible concerning a Christ-centered marriage and stick with it until death. Try it, you’ll like it.

(Merritt is the pastor at Trinity Missionary Baptist Church.)

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