The Daily CHEW™
Moving God’s Love from Head to Heart for Christian Professionals
Marriage images God, which means it is never meant to have anything standing in the middle of it—not children, parents, friends, vocation, or hobbies. Genesis 1:26–28 shows God creating man and woman together to bear His image and exercise dominion as one, not as parallel lives that occasionally intersect.
That “one‑flesh” reality means the marriage covenant is the primary human relationship. Other relationships are gifts, but they are not the center. When a good gift begins to move into that center—career demands, a child’s needs, aging parents, even ministry—wise couples notice the drift and take it seriously, not because they love those people or callings less, but because they want to love them from the right place.
Think of it as standing back‑to‑back in a circle. Together, husband and wife face outward toward whatever threatens to wedge between them—work pressure, a constant parenting crisis, the pull of extended family—and they “guard their oneness” as a shared stewardship. They are not fighting each other; they are fighting for the space where God’s image is meant to shine through their union.
That kind of vigilance is not frantic or fearful. It is a steady commitment to regularly ask, “Has anything begun to outrank our marriage in my affections, time, or energy?” and then, together, to re‑order their lives so that their oneness is protected and strengthened. When a couple does this over time, their marriage becomes a living picture of God’s faithful, ordered love—and every other relationship in their lives is blessed by that clarity.
With you on the journey,
Ryan
If you had to name one thing that has quietly started to move into the middle of your marriage, what would it be?
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