The Shadow and the Reality

"For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife... This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church." (Ephesians 5:31-32) Imagine you are walking outside and you see the shadow of a bird on the ground.

You can study the shadow. It tells you something about the bird. But you don't fall in love with the shadow. You look up to find the real bird in the sky. The shadow is just a flat picture pointing to the real thing.

Marriage is a shadow. Jesus and the Church is the real thing. We often make romance an idol. We think getting married is the ultimate goal of life and the only way to be fully happy. But the Bible says marriage just exists to be a Picture of the Gospel.

A husband's sacrifice points to Jesus dying for us. A wife's trust points to the Church trusting Jesus. If you are single, you are not "missing out" on the ultimate goal of life. You already have the Reality (Jesus).

Marriage is just a signpost pointing to Him. Don't fall in love with the signpost and miss the actual destination.

Marriage is only for this lifetime. Jesus said that in heaven, people will not be married to each other (Matthew 22:30). Marriage is a training ground to teach us about covenant love. Once we get to eternity and see Jesus face-to-face, we won't need the training wheels anymore.

This gives huge dignity to Singleness . A single person is not incomplete. They are just focusing directly on Jesus instead of the shadow. Reflect on this: Are you idolizing marriage? (Thinking: "I'll only be happy when I find a spouse" ).

Or are you idolizing your spouse? (Expecting them to make you perfectly happy). No human can handle the pressure of being your savior. Only Jesus can. 👣 Take a Step Action: Shift Your Focus. If you are single: Thank God today that you are completely whole in Christ without a ring.

If you are married: Look at your spouse and remind yourself: "I love you, but you are not my God." It takes the pressure off them.