Assembly Summary: The Blessings of Marriage
Author: Yolanda Watt | Student, Living Education – Charlotte, 2021-22
Estimated Reading Time: 3 min.
Mr. Wallace Smith focused his recent assembly message on the topic of marriage.
When we think about marriage, we sometimes think about the world’s approach to marriage versus the way it is approached in the Bible. From Mr. Smith’s perspective, we tend to look at marriage in terms of how great it is to avoid the negative things that are happening in the world, but we don’t focus on how wonderful marriage is, in and of itself.
When God created marriage, He created it to anchor the family. Mr. Smith stressed the point that even though God can work with different types of families, such as single-parent families, we must be mindful that families without both a husband and a wife have a challenge to overcome.
Six Blessings of Marriage
Mr. Smith explained to us that God designed sex to be within the confines of marriage. He used Proverbs 30:18–19 to show that God designed men and women to be attracted to each other. We must, however, be sure that we are not just going along with the world’s painting of what sex is, but instead recognizing that sex, when in marriage, is a uniquely wonderful thing.
Commitment within marriage is another blessing, and as Mr. Smith put it, “none of us gets out of it alive.” He emphasized that it is a tremendous blessing to know that there is someone in your life who is extremely committed to you. The world has the philosophy that your feelings are the truth, but the truth is that feelings are fickle and not enough to carry a relationship through. Marriage is based on commitment.
Marriage also brings companionship that is different from mere friendship. Mr. Smith turned to Malachi 2:13–14 to highlight that it is talking about someone who has been with you on the same journey through life. He stressed that companionship is something that happens over time; you are shaped into the right companion for your spouse, and vice versa. Your companion is that one person who knows things about you that no one else knows.
Vulnerability in marriage is also a blessing. Mr. Smith reminded us that your spouse is with you all the time; you cannot keep up appearances with that person. Your spouse sees you in different environments—both on your good days and on your bad.
God is planning His Family, and He gives us children to teach us. Mr. Smith said that with children you learn to give, especially when they are not giving to you.
Finally, Mr. Smith spoke about how marriage gives us fulfillment of our design. God designed marriage and helped Adam to realize that he was initially missing something; it was not until God created both man and woman that He stated that His creation was “very good.” Our gender roles are revealed in marriage, and fulfilling these roles helps us to grow.
