Letters From Grandpa #90

• LETTERS FROM GRANDPA
• 90

Dearest grandchild,

Today’s letter will deal with the subject of marriage. Several of you are already married, and Isabelle is planning to get married this week end. Someday, if the Lord should tarry, you will probably be married too. So marriage is something each of you need to think about seriously. There is a great deal of confusion today about marriage, but God is not the Author of Confusion (1 Cor. 14:33). So, rather than bore you with depressing statistics, or depress you with boring ideas, let’s go back to the Bible and concentrate on happy thoughts. I think we have a happy family, and our family’s happiness, at least in part, is due to the fact that we have tried to believe and obey the Bible. Hopefully, you will also obey the Bible and pass on this happy heritage to your family as well.

I

As you know, God Himself instituted marriage. The Scriptures teach that His wisdom is “manifold” (Eph. 3:10). Like a beautiful diamond with many sides, marriage reflects the beauty of God’s wisdom in many ways. In this brief letter we will only reference a few, but when you get married, you will personally experience many more.

One profound aspect of marriage is that it reflects the very nature of God Himself. Remember! God is three persons - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The plural nature of God is “reflected” in the creation story when God said: “Let us make man in our own image”. God is more than one, that’s why it was not good for Adam to be alone. Adam, by himself, did not accurately represent the “image” of God. So God put Adam to sleep and created Eve from his side.

There is something profound and wonderful about this story. Please consider:

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The creation of Eve was unique. No one, before or since, was created like she was. The fact that she was taken from the man explains what she was called “woman”.

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When God created Eve He brought her unto Adam and the two became one. And the Scriptures explain: “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh” (Gen. 2:24)

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Love existed before creation. We are told in Scripture that the Father loves the Son, and that the Son loves the Father. This eternal love could now be experienced by Adam and Eve. Faith will become sight, and hope will become reality, but love never fails. It lasts forever! #

To “know” in the Bible, means to become intimate with so that a new life is produced. So Adam “knew” his wife and she conceived and had children.

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Children born to married people have the benefit of having both a mother, and a father. This is one reason why adultery is wrong. Children without a father’s influence are handicapped. #

There are at least 4 reasons given in Scripture for the marriage.

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Companionship - It was not good for Adam to be alone.

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To have children - Adam and Eve were told “Be fruitful and multiply”. #

To avoid fornication - In marriage the sexual desires of both husband and wife can

be safely fulfilled with no fear of sexually transmitted diseases (1 Cor. 7:1 - 6). #

The marriage union was also designed by God to model the beautiful and mysterious relationship between Christ and the church (Eph. 5:32).

II

I shall forever be indebted to my mother and father for honoring marriage. Mom’s first husband died in an oil field explosion at Gladewater, TX on April 28, 1931. At that time she had only one son and he was born crippled. His name was, Robert William McCaslin. H. B. and Zola Mae were married Sept. 14, 1932 at the Court House in Carthage, Mo. They kept their wedding vows for 63 years and were faithful until death. Dad died Dec. 5, 1995. Their love for one another convinced me that you don’t have to have a lot of money to have a happy marriage.

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Dad was a city fireman in Tulsa and described his meager income as a “cornbread and beans” living. Because dad was a faithful provider, however, we always had our “cornbread and beans”. The stability of our home gave each of us a happy and carefree childhood. #

Dad suffered a paralyzing stroke Feb. 12, 1988 and was an invalid the last 8 ½ years of his life. Because the wedding vows are for richer or poorer, better or worse, sickness or health, mom was a faithful care giver. In some respects, caring for dad in his time of need gave her lasting satisfaction. She said that those years were among the most meaningful in her life. #

I have inherited a wonderful legacy regarding marriage from my parents, and am determined to pass on that rich heritage to you.

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It is my prayer that each of you will do the same.! Remember! Love never fails!

III

In Hebrews 11:7 we are told that Noah built an ark to save his family. Building the ark was undoubtedly difficult, but it was worth it! In 1965 Granny and I made the difficult decision to move from our new home in California to a dilapidated old house in Carthage, Missouri. Uncle John quips that he was the only kid in Jasper, County that computed a wind chill factor in his bed room.

The primary purpose for this move involved “saving our family”. In California we were surrounded by neighbors that did not share our values. Our motive in moving was to benefit our children and we have never regretted that decision. For many years we didn’t even own a TV. Our austere life prompted Aunt Mary to describe our home as the “convent”. While Granny and I have failed in many ways, God knows that we tried.

It is my prayer that you will also “try” to please God, and that someday our family will be together in heaven for all eternity.

I love you ,

Grandpa Boyce