Marriage and friendships
by Anne Hansen
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… You also died to the law through the body of Christ, that you might belong to another … in order that we might bear fruit to God (Romans 7:4).
Read Romans 7:1–12
When I was growing up, my parents had fruit trees in our backyard. During the summer months, we would be busy stewing, preserving and drying fruit. We had an abundance of peaches most years; therefore, we would dry a lot.
To dry the peaches, we would cut them in half and remove the stone. Then, my mother would make a sulphur solution, and we would soak them for a couple of days. They were then drained and placed flesh side up on trays, which we would place in the sun in our backyard. As the sun moved, so did our trays. They had to be turned to ensure all the moisture was removed before we could put them in airtight containers to have as treats when there were no fresh peaches left.
The Bible reading for today discusses marriage, the sins that can arise within it, and how we are to glorify God in all things and produce fruit in our marriages. God gives us so many good things, but when times are difficult, it is hard to remember the good times, and we focus on the negative (the sins). That is why God wants us to preserve, stew and dry all the good things that happen so that during difficult times, we can bring out what we have learnt and preserved to enjoy and look back on.
It takes effort to glorify God in our marriages and to put the other person first, especially when we feel we have been unfairly treated or slighted. Even for those who are not married, maintaining friendships and family relations takes effort. It must be a deliberate action.
My husband and I have just recently celebrated 30 years of marriage. We are blessed and continue to share time together, pray together, do special things for each other, reminisce about what we have done together and then look to the future. This is how I stew, preserve and dry fruits within my marriage. How do you do it?
Marriage and friendships are gifts, where fruits grow.
Loving Saviour, thank you for friendships, family and marriage. Help me grow my relationships and then preserve the love for the hard times. Amen.
For 19 years, Anne has been the Lutheran Tract Mission Development Officer. She lives in Noosa with her husband, Mark (a pastor), has three grown children – Jonah, Christian and Emma – and is a proud new mother-in-law to Brooke. She enjoys walking, reading, gardening and playing pickleball.
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