Today’s lunchtime was a stereotypical day for me. After a short hike away from the office into a nearby park, I was able to find a nice spot in the grass on a hill beneath the shade of an old oak tree. From my perch atop the world, I started journaling. Nearby, a sweat bee alighted gently on a cloverleaf. It was only upon closer examination that I discovered that there was more to this simple event than met the eye, and got a lesson as a result.
Something about Mr. Bee looked slightly odd, and as I looked closer, I realized that it was not one, but two, one on top of the other, mating I guess. As I sat there for a few seconds, the pair lifted off in flight, flew a foot or so, and settled back down again, still in the throes of bee love.
This simple display of nature brought with it a profound realization of how marriage is supposed to bee. (hehe :P) Looking at the two from a distance, it was not possible to discern one from the other – they appeared to be one and the same creature. They moved in such unity and harmony with one another – perfect synchronization. It was only upon closer examination that I was able to easily see that they were, in fact, two distinct, separate, unique beings.
Thinking further about this, I realized the implications of any lack of unity between the two. The space that separated their wings was less than a sixty-fourth of an inch, while their wings were an eighth inch long. Yet both were able to fly, flapping their wings at the exact same time and the exact same speed and in the exact same direction. They both had to give 100% effort into the equation. If either had decided to go a different speed, or in a different direction, the results would have been painful. At the very least, they would have clashed wings, and would have split apart, crashed into the ground, or both. Either way, they would have been injured.
Similarly, marriage is not the loss of two individuals, creating in its place one frankencouple. Rather, at its very best, it is a perfect symphony. It is two unique personalities, two unique individuals, brought together as “one flesh” (Mark 10:8), working in unison and harmony. It is a representation to us of God – how He can be one Being, yet three distinct, separate Persons. Likewise, a married couple is still two separate humans, and yet they are one being in His eyes.
Even though no marriage will be flawless since both people involved are imperfect, it is still the best, most tangible example we have of the perfect unity between the Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. And when both husband and wife give everything to each other, putting the needs, wants, and desires of the other before their own, the marriage will hum beautifully along, just as it was meant to :o)