In Genesis 2:24 (BSB) the Word of God says: “… a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.” Flesh when used in this Scripture doesn’t mean physical intimacy only, it goes deeper:

“…husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. After all, no one ever hated their own body, but they feed and care for their body, just as Christ does the church— for we are members of his body.” (Ephesians 5:28-30, NIV)

How does each member work and cooperate together as one body?

“There are different kinds of gifts… There are different kinds of service… There are different kinds of working… Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ.” (1 Corinthians 12:4-6, 12, NIV)

First thing first, the husband and wife are called to be one with Christ and to serve together. Yet they have different gifts and passions, and so they can serve each other, and serve others as unto the Lord. If I use my husband and I as an example, the Lord had assigned him as the hands and feet, and I am the ears and eyes. How does it work? Whether we are leading our family or the ministry’s work, the Lord gives me insight and vision, and ideas and the gift of organizing. At the same time, He also gives my husband skills, knowledge, and understanding of how to implement and operate the technical parts. One thing though, and this matters the most:

“If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.” (1 Corinthians 13:1-3, NIV)

We, as husband and wife, should be bound in the love of Christ and in Christ alone. In all different gifts we have, we must seek not ourselves, but instead how His love can flow through us.

His patience and kindness should be the guide for every married couple to follow. There is no need of envy or boasting, nor pride in the gifts that are given by Christ. We need to learn not to dishonor each other or be self-seeking, but as the Lord said, we should be one body. There may be a time when we are frustrated or disappointed, yet that doesn’t mean we have to get angry. Focusing on or repeating the wrong will do us no good.  We should choose not to delight in evil but rejoice with the truth. In Christ, when it comes to our marriage, we should always protect, always trust, always hope, and always persevere. Let the love that is built in Christ never fail.