I recently posted part of a quote describing the significance of vows made in a marriage covenant. Thanks to my friend Matt I now have the full quote to share with you. Feel free to post your thoughts.
“The joining of a man and woman in matrimony is a supernatural event, founded upon a mutual exchange of holy vows. The saying of them requires about thirty seconds. But keeping them is the work of a lifetime. To keep a vow, however, does not mean to keep from breaking it. If that were the case, marriage vows would be broken the day they were made. This is where a vow differs from a mere promise or resolution. A resolution, once broken, must either be forgotten or made again. But a vow retains its power and validity irrespective of conduct. It is not like the signing of a legal contract and not like any other form of human promise. A person cannot promise to love another person; he can only vow to do so. A vow is, per se, a confession of inadequacy and an automatic calling upon the only adequacy there is, which is the mercy and power of God. To keep a vow, therefore, means not to keep from breaking it, but rather to devote the rest of one’s life to discovering what the vow means, and to be willing to change and grow accordingly. So a married person is a kept person, kept in the profound protection of vows that have been taken before the Lord. This is not the protection of a lazy security and comfort; rather, it is the protection of an inexhaustible forgiveness."
Mike Mason
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