Jessa Duggar and Ben Seewald were married on television Tuesday night. It was precious! They kept discussing that they were finally going to get to have their first kiss and I kept thinking, "That's the easy part of your first day of being married!" There was so much innocence and joy. It's simply refreshing to watch! Just before Jim Bob walked Jessa down the aisle for the rehearsal dinner he asked her, "Are you ready for this through sickness and health, riches and poverty?" What a great question for a father to ask his daughter! Divorce will never be a part of their vocabulary for what God has joined together, let no man put asunder.
Jill Duggar is married to Derrick Dillard and pregnant with their first baby. She couldn't bend over to paint her toenails so Derrick did it for her. He then stated, "We are going to be in the honeymoon phase forever!" I LOVED it! Jim Bob and Michelle sure seem like they are still in the honeymoon phase. Ken and I and my sisters with their husbands are more in a "honeymoon phase" than ever before! My children all seem to still be in the honeymoon phase. My parents are more in love than ever before and they've been married over 61 years! Jim Bob's mother was married for 49 years and said the secret to a happy marriage is sacrifice. It is all so refreshing, like drinking from a clean, clear stream completely free from pollution.
On my Facebook page yesterday I wrote, "John MacArthur said women should NOT watch soap operas {and I would add Dancing with the Stars, The Bachelor, etc.} because they are ungodly and immoral. God commands we dwell on the lovely and the good for a reason. Are you watching anything ungodly or immoral? 'Be careful little eyes what you see...People never crumble in a day..It's a slow fade when you give yourself away; It's a slow fade when black and white have turned to gray; Thoughts invade, choices are made, a price will be paid..'" {Lyrics from an amazing song by Casting Crowns.} One woman commented, "We don't watch TV for the same reason we don't drink from the toilet!" I thank the Lord that there are shows like the Duggars that model a truly godly family completely free from any ungodliness and immorality. I tape almost everything I watch on TV so I can speed through the commercials!
Back to the title of this post; what is the "honeymoon phase?" It's when you love each other deeply. You don't argue. You love being together and enjoy each other's company. You love kissing and being intimate with each other. You want to please each other. You let the little things go since they don't bother you. You still love looking into each other's eyes. You're still IN LOVE! Emily, my daughter-in-law, told me she gets annoyed when people tell them the honeymoon phase won't last to which she responds, "Well, the honeymoon won't end if I have anything to say about it!"
What makes it easy to stay in the "honeymoon phase" and stay there until "death do you part?" Doing marriage God's way. Husbands loving and providing for their wives. Wives submitting and obeying their husbands, plus pleasing, serving, loving, respecting, and forgiving their husbands. Building up their home instead of tearing it down with their own hands. Continuing to be a cheerful and thankful wife. {Yes, I made the longer list for the wives since they are who I teach! Plus, the less expectations we have on our husbands, the better.}
God commands us to stay in the "honeymoon phase," Let thy fountain be blessed: and rejoice with the wife of thy youth {Proverbs 5:18} Yes, this verse is directed to husbands but we must continue to rejoice in the husband of our youth whom God has graciously blessed us with and stay in the honeymoon phase forever! After all, I am commanded by God to teach young women to LOVE their husbands.
