“… and the two will become one flesh.’” Mark 10:6-8

She carefully measured the flour into the mixing bowl, then added a cup of sugar. They were both white, but if she looked closely, she could tell the difference between the granules of sugar and the tiny flour flakes. However, once the water, cocoa, and oil were added, flour and sugar became something greater than either was alone. Together they were a delicious dessert.

That’s the picture Jesus painted with the words “the two shall become one flesh.” One flesh. Blended together to create something new. The sexual union was designed to bond a husband and wife in the most intimate way possible. It is a sacred unifier, shared with no one else. As husband and wife merge their lives, bank accounts, traditions, and opinions, they become something greater than either was alone. Just as a cake coming from the oven still contains the separate elements of flour and sugar, marriage allows husband and wife to retain their individual personalities, while combining lives to create something greater. One flesh means that spouses let go of anything that challenges that bond and value their marriage as God does.

Final Thought:  How would you define “one flesh” in marriage? What has to be surrendered by each in order to create that?

Prayer: Father, I value my individuality, but maybe I’ve got the wrong idea if I am to have a successful marriage your way. Show me what I need to change in order to prepare myself to be “one flesh” with a spouse. In Jesus’ name, Amen.