MARRIAGE FILLS OUR GAP

MARRIAGE FILLS OUR GAP

Gen. 2:18 clearly outlines one major purpose for marriage: for one spouse to complete the other.  “It is not good that man should be alone,” God declared.  “I will make him a helper comparable to him.”

Adam may have lived in the middle of a perfect garden, but he was alone.  God created Eve to be his comparable helper and companion.  The Apostle Paul echoed this teaching when he wrote, “Nevertheless, neither is man independent of woman nor woman independent of man, in the Lord”( 1Cor.11:11).  We really do need each other!   As william Barclay’s DAILY STUDY BIBLE put it, “In the Lord, woman is nothing without man nor man without woman.”

Perhaps you saw the original Rocky film, before Sylvester Stallone started spinning off sequels.  Do you remember the love relationship of Rocky and Adrian?  She is the little wallflower who worked in the pet shop, the sister of Paulie, an insensitive goon who works at the meat house and who wants to become a debt collector for a loan shark.  Paulie feels suspicious of Rocky’s intentions toward Adrian.  He asks the fighter one day, “What’s the attraction?  I don’t see it.”

I doubt that Sylvester Stallone, who wrote the script, has any idea that his words perfectly exemplify the principle for a suitable helper described in Genesis 2.  Rocky declare, “I dunno–she fills gaps.”

Paulie bristles. “What gaps?” he asks.

“She got gaps; I got gaps–together we fill the gaps.”

In his simple but profound way, Rocky hits upon a great truth.  He means that without him, Adrian has empty places in her life; and without her, he has empty places in his.  But when the two of them get together, they fill those blank spots in one another.

That’s exactly what God did when He fashioned a helpmate suitable for Adam.  She filled his empty places and he filled hers.

I’ve never had any doubt that I need Barbara.  I know she fills my gaps.  I need her because she tells me the truth about myself, both the good, the bad, and the otherwise.  I need Barbara to add another perspective of life, of relationships, and of people.  She also adds variety and spice to my life.  She’s an artist; I am not.  Her pace is slower than mine.  She helps me pull back on the throttle and helps me enjoy life.  She has encouraged me, for instance,  to read more–and I now actually enjoy it.  That’s what a helpmate does!

NOTE:  Don’t forget tomorrows post.  Daily there is a new post.

NOTE: This article was taken from Family Life Bible Study by Dennis and Barbara Rainey