The Sanctity of Marriage

By Cheryl Dickow
Catholic Online

For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh. Genesis 2:24

Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church...In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself...However each of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband. Ephesians 5:25-33

Like so many other women in our world, we know about Zipporah through the success of her husband. Of course, not many of our husbands have such name recognition as Moses, but the story is the same. Oftentimes we find ourselves in the background, nurturing our friends, our spouses, our children, and our neighbors. And, like Zipporah, we have a name and a commitment to the ones we love but it isn't necessarily our name that the world or the community might know. Or our role is diminished because it is the less sought after role of homemaker or mother. Fortunately for us, the Lord will know the fruits of our love. He will recognize our dedication to those in He put in our lives and in our corner of the world.

Scripture gives us role models for nurturers as well as for prophetesses and judges. We see women summoned by God in numerous ways. And regardless of the summons, God's hand is evident in the uniqueness of each and every call. Of course the secular messages aren't always as evident. We often struggle to find our place, as defined by the world. However, when we are guided by the Holy Spirit we are able to cut through the cloudiness of the secular messages that are, at once, loud and yet contradictory.

We have all, in one way or another, experienced the haziness of the world's messages. We might even have found it difficult to be at peace with what feels "right" because we are often told that it is "wrong." If we are at home, raising children, the world tells us that we will miss opportunities in our careers. If we choose our careers society tells us that we will miss our child's first steps and first words. If we remain childless the world tells us that we are selfish. If we have six children we are treated as if we are irresponsible. The tumultuousness of the messages takes its toll.

When we find ourselves in the midst of this, it is crucial to bring our focus back to God. When we surrender our lives to Him, He can work with us as He sees fit: not as the world tells us, nor as our false sense of "truth" tells us.

Zipporah, then, is the great reminder that God's plans are often in absolute contrast to what we might have planned or what we might be told is "right." And she then shows us how to gracefully accept what the Lord puts on our plate. Most certainly her life unfolded in a way that was in stark contrast to what she would have imagined. We ought to find great faith in that simple realization. From it we can clearly see that the Lord always knows what is best for each and everyone of us and willingly looks to work with us to that end.

It would seem safe to say that while Zipporah was tending to sheep and found the stranger, Moses, at the well, she did not conceive of what lay ahead. Could she have fathomed, even for an instant, that this man would soon be her husband and in direct communication with God - talking to a burning bush and receiving commandments? If she imagined herself as a wife and mother it would, no doubt, have been in very conventional ways. But her resolve to love and support her husband allowed God's plan to unfold. And, as it turned out, it was a very unconventional, complex plan which included parting a huge body of water and multiple plagues! So when Zipporah participated in God's plans, she was able to be all that God hoped for and needed her to be.

In a very trusting and loving way, Zipporah went along with the life that was developing. She shows us that her part in Exodus was as valuable to God's plans as was Moses receiving the Ten Commandments and parting the Red Sea. After all, had she wanted to make things difficult for Moses, we all know she could have. She could have, like Eve, forever changed the course of human history.

Instead she relied on her confidence as a wife, mother, and woman. She was not affected by the realization that her life, her marriage, was anything other than what she had probably dreamt about. In Moses' life Zipporah was the perfect compliment to his mother. Herself a woman whose faith in God allowed her to release Moses into the Nile. When we meditate on the women in Moses' life, it is no wonder that he was able to build the most loving of relationships with God. He was himself blessed with women in his life who were resolute in their faith. These women were able to turn everything over to God, fully trusting in His omniscience.

Zipporah's everyday life shows us that she was strong, loving, and faithful. She was both self-confident and self-effacing at the same time. She had to be all these things, and more, to live a life outside of the normal expectations as her husband moved forward in God's plan for the Hebrew people. She was a mighty and powerful woman. Consider, even for a brief moment, how accomplishing her role also allowed Moses to reach his destiny for God and ultimately scribe the Torah. It is both illuminating and exhilarating for those of us in positions to offer nurturing and support to others. Indeed, it inspires us to embrace the opportunities that the Holy Spirit gives us in which we can help one another in our walk with God.

Indeed, we should all recognize that we have the same influencing power that Zipporah possessed. So if our life is one of nurturing and support, and it is dismissed, we should recall how Zipporah's nurturing love allowed Moses to free God's people. Whatever she did on the "home-front" allowed Moses to wholeheartedly tend to God's people. It was in that supportive way that she had an enormous effect on a multitude of people.

We see from Zipporah that a woman who loves and encourages her spouse, her children, or her friends is actually able to impact a tremendous amount of people. It literally becomes her character that moves out into the world through these people. Her kindness and her compassion are able to take on a life of their own. A woman's influence, and her subsequent responsibility, should never be underestimated.

And, of course, the opposite is true. A difficult, angry, unkind woman just as easily sends negative or detrimental energy out into the world. As we recall from Sarah, our behavior always has an affect on others. At the end of our lives we will come face to face with God. We will be held responsible for our words and our actions. It will be at that point that the realization of how we treated others will most fully impact us. We will learn how we have affected others' lives. We will be held accountable. We would do well, then, to learn from Zipporah the intrinsic value of creating a loving, supportive home.

Make no mistake about it; women are very powerful creatures. How we use that power is of our own choosing. Do we, like Zipporah, allow God's plan to unfold, especially if it is different than we had imagined? Do we trust God and the path that He has put us on? Or do we hinder Him in untold ways? Are we brave enough, like Zipporah, to find our worth in a solid marriage or do we let others shake our foundation?

Zipporah's beautiful story is one of trust and courage for married women. She encourages us to face the secular skepticism that says we cannot be fully happy or complete in a mutually respectful relationship. She shows us how to trust our mates and how to trust God. Zipporah gives us the courage to stand firm when the world tells us to fold.

Zipporah is a woman whose powerful ability to offer nurturing love and support to a man on a treacherous mission ultimately allowed God's plan for His people to be realized. God would have known, as His word indicates in Genesis 2:24, that in choosing Moses, He was also choosing Zipporah. She was a woman, like Noah's wife, up to the great task ahead. Zipporah is truly a woman for all times as she embodies strength, fortitude, and trust.

_________________

This excerpt is taken from Cheryl's book, "Reclaiming Your Christian Self in a Secular World: A Woman's Bible Study," and is available through Amazon. Cheryl is also the editor of Bezalel Books and webmaster for www.AskKnockSeek.com.

Contact

Ask, Knock, and Seek
http://www.AskKnockSeek.com MI, US
Cheryl Dickow - author, speaker, editor, 248 917.3865

Email

Cheryl@AskKnockSeek.com

Keywords

marriage sacrament

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