Last year I became a “dreaded” Mother-in-Law. 🙂

Now I have everyone’s attention, right? I mean, what in the world am I going to say next?! Well, I doubt it’s what you  are thinking. But it is what I’ve been thinking about … for a while now. Over the past few months I’ve been desiring to know what God intended marriage to look like (what the Bible says). Our family watched the movie Fireproof again a couple of weeks ago. I recently heard a very Biblical message by Andy Stanley on the teachings of Jesus regarding marriage/divorce and so that has also been thrown in the mix of thoughts in my head. But in the process of analyzing, my thoughts have taken somewhat of a side turn.

What if, even as we are teaching/preaching from the pulpit and Sunday school classrooms and books that marriage should be permanent, we are subtly undermining the “one-ness” of a young married couple by what we as families (moms especially) expect of them. My desire is to encourage that oneness, not undermine it!The OT says that children are to leave father and mother and become separated (from parents) to become ONE with each other.
I am now a mother IN LAW to another son. But I am also (and more importantly) a mother IN GOD to him. And as much as I desire this new role to be comfortable, my greater desire is for it to be biblical!
As a new mother-in-law, I’m beginning to wonder if all too often we neglect seeing a spouse that has been added to the family as truly now a part of the family unit. I’ve especially been meditating on Jesus’ statement in Mark 10 following what was an OT quote. Jesus said “So they are no longer two, but one flesh.” The context here is teaching on marriage and divorce. But it made me pause …. and start thinking. Well, ’cause that’s what I do. 🙂

I will “think out loud” on the next couple of posts about this. But for now this is where I’m going: I’ve decided that my daughter Amanda is no longer a single unit – Amanda. She is now ErikandAmanda. 🙂 If Jesus declared them “one flesh” then should I do less? I guess I’m just wondering if we are so focused on keeping the individuality of our children – what we as moms know about them as our beloved child – that we aren’t allowing them to truly become one with their spouses. Amanda is, and always will be, my daughter (and one of my best friends). I enjoy her company and her friendship. But Jesus said “what God has joined together, let no one separate.”

Amanda Reeves no longer exists as a separate, single, one-person unit, “just Amanda”. Amanda is now ErikandAmanda. Two persons but one unit, one flesh. One bible commentator put it like this: Emotionally, sexually, spiritually, intellectually, financially, and in every other way, the couple is to become one.
So now, ErikandAmanda “is” my child(ren). 🙂
I’m just sayin’ …. and thinkin’! It leaves room for MUCH thinking!