You Are Married Now!

It's true! Every individual in this universe already has a more wonderful marriage partner than the world has ever known— God.

I'm sure that some people find this farfetched, or a little "far out" metaphysically. But it is not, really. Many people have proven this to themselves. And they have found wonderful satisfaction and fulfillment.

The Bible has taught man's marriage with God for centuries. Hosea pictured divine Love promising this spiritual union by saying, "I will betroth thee unto me for ever; yea, I will betroth thee unto me in righteousness, and in judgment, and in lovingkindness, and in mercies . . . thou shalt know the Lord." ^{Hos. 2:19, 20;}

By now you may be thinking, "That's great for Bible times. But isn't it a little abstract for my life today?"

No. But our feeling of unity with divine Love doesn't come through some magic hocus-pocus. It needs to be learned, be fully known, worked at, and practiced in daily life.

I found this out for myself one night after some very long and dateless months. Determined to approach marriage from a strongly spiritual point of view, I finally sat down for some honest, thorough study of the Bible and Mrs. Eddy's writings.

I used the Concordances to look up every word I could find dealing with marriage—altar, bride, husband, nuptial, conjugal, etc. I even squared with myself and looked up such words as frustration and longing. What I uncovered fairly revolutionized my thinking and changed my life.

This is the sentence from Science and Health by Mrs. Eddy that started it all: " 'Arise from your false consciousness into the true sense of Love, and behold the Lamb's wife,—Love wedded to its own spiritual idea.' " ^{Science and Health, p. 575;}

This was a stirring rebuke, a mind-bending statement. I thought about it for a long time, and then suddenly the Scriptural promise of the oneness and unity of God and man made sense.

Think of this yourself for a minute. Man is an idea, the idea of Love, eternally wed to God, never separate from Him. In the divine—and you and I have a Godlike individuality that's entirely different from the mortal—this marriage exists forever.

Well, as I thought about these truths that night, a warm encouraging peace settled on me. I felt God's love so close that I knew the loneliness was healed. I really saw myself as the very idea of Love. But I did not stop there. For the next few weeks I studied every night. The day I finished I met my husband in a Christian Science Reading Room.

Let us be clear that human marriage may not be for everyone. Some people just don't need or want it. But whatever your own feelings may be, you do need the wonderful sense of oneness with God.

While you are working out the answer to your individual needs, it's important to meet and disprove scientifically the imaginative theories that could unwittingly cheat you out of what's right for you.

For instance, take the "girl of my dreams" or the "white knight" theory. This common belief holds that each person has his own perfect someone waiting just around the corner to rescue him from dull and purposeless singlehood! But isn't this belief just wish projection?

There's no "some day" to God's provision for you, no postponement or withholding to prevent your legitimate happiness. The Judaic teaching that the Messiah is yet to come is not law for you because the Christ is come. In Truth you can find your companioning with God; it is here for you to accept and enjoy.

As someone put it years ago,

This is also the answer for the "it's too late" theory, the "bad luck" theory, and the "you had your chance and botched it" theory. These are faulty, limiting, material views of existence. Mrs. Eddy warns, "To calculate one's life-prospects from a material basis, would infringe upon spiritual law and misguide human hope." ^{Science and Health, p. 319.}

Spiritual law provides the legitimate affection of Soul for each one of us. Understanding this establishes your right to a satisfying life now. God's love does provide for even the most tender human needs.

Another false belief circulating among us is that high standards bring penalties, that discipline, purity, and virginity limit our chances for finding a marriage partner. But this isn't true. High standards attract those who want to live disciplined, moral lives.

Nothing can separate you from others or deprive you of the right relationship that assists you in your spiritual growth. Knowing this protects you from unwitting submission to false law and opens the way for God's plan to operate in your experience. While we do find that we need each other in a certain human sense, we can even prove God's gift of love to us when we are totally alone.

Divine Mind does not need mortal man to act as a go-between for the expression of its intelligence and love. Infinite Love is always present, directly communicating love to us.

When you understand and fully accept this truth, you will not find yourself continually "put off" in your natural desire to share love. And you will have the immense satisfaction of feeling unreservedly loved by Love in the most fulfilling relationship one can have—union with God.

Do you agree? Then you are already a step closer in your realization of true marriage, ready to place the responsibility for your future in His hands daily, not waiting for some special day to feel loved.

You are not on a shelf, living in a state of suspended anticipation, waiting for the march down the aisle! You are the idea of Love itself. You have a wonderful thing going with God: a close relationship. Enjoy it!