During his courtship with a young woman named Julia Dent, Ulysses S. Grant once took her out for a buggy ride. Coming to a flooded creek spanned by a flimsy bridge, Grant assured Julia that it was safe to cross. "Don't be frightened," he said. "I'll look after you." "Well," replied Julia, "I shall cling to you whatever happens." True to her word, she clung tightly to Grant's arm as they drove safely across. Grant drove on in thoughtful silence for a few minutes, then cleared his throat and said, "Julia, you said back there that you would cling to me whatever happened. Would you like to cling to me for the rest of our lives?" She would, and they were married in August 1848.
“I shall cling to you whatever happens.” – Oh, what a promise – what a delight – what a wondrous thing. Such should be the promise of every husband and wife to one another. Ecclesiastes 9:9 tells us, “Live joyfully with thy wife whom thou lovest.” This is one of many passages in the Bible that deal with the marriage relationship. It is easy to understand why the Bible deals so much with marriage, as this is how God pictures His relationship with Israel and how Christ pictures His relationship with the church. Ephesians 5:25 says, “Husbands love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it.” The Song of Solomon is a beautiful picture of the marriage relationship – representative of the beautiful relationship that we have with Him.
I heard once of a couple who married for 15 years began having more than usual disagreements. They wanted to keep their marriage intact and agreed on an idea the wife had. For one month they planned to drop a slip in a "Fault" box. The boxes would provide a place to let the other know about daily irritations. The wife was diligent in her efforts and approach: "leaving the jelly top off the jar," "wet towels on the shower floor," "dirty socks not in hamper," on and on until the end of the month. After dinner, at the end of the month, they exchanged boxes. The husband reflected on what he had done wrong. Then the wife opened her box and began reading. They were all the same, the message on each slip was, "I love you!"
Now, experts tell us an average of 13,500 people get married every day in our country. And these marriages range from eternal bliss to virtual warfare. Those who live in bliss have learned that for a marriage to work, both parties must give up self and all its selfishness and learn to become one. Dr. Jimmy Robbins always said, “I got married to love, not to fight.” One Sunday he gave us 10 rules for a happy marriage. I’ll close today with those rules, most attributed to Ann Landers:
1 – Never both be angry at the same time.
2 – Never yell at each other unless the house is on fire.
3 – If one of you has to win an argument, let it be your mate.
4 – If you must criticize do it lovingly.
5 – Never bring up mistakes of the past.
6 – Neglect the whole world rather than each other.
7 – Never go to sleep with an argument unsettled.
8 – At least once every day try to say one kind or complimentary thing to your life’s partner.
9 – When you have done something wrong, be ready to admit it and ask for forgiveness.
10 – It takes two to make a quarrel, and the one in the most wrong is the one who does the most talking.
2 – Never yell at each other unless the house is on fire.
3 – If one of you has to win an argument, let it be your mate.
4 – If you must criticize do it lovingly.
5 – Never bring up mistakes of the past.
6 – Neglect the whole world rather than each other.
7 – Never go to sleep with an argument unsettled.
8 – At least once every day try to say one kind or complimentary thing to your life’s partner.
9 – When you have done something wrong, be ready to admit it and ask for forgiveness.
10 – It takes two to make a quarrel, and the one in the most wrong is the one who does the most talking.
Quote – “Marriage teaches you loyalty, forbearance, self-restraint and a lot of other qualities you wouldn't need if you'd stayed single.” - Unknown
