No Man Before Me!

It’s outlined clearly in the Bible: “Thou shall have no other god before me”. That’s God speaking to humanity with clear instructions. This instruction is an integral part of the Ten Commandments. But is it one that we follow?

When we pledge our love to another human being during the formal process of marriage, we make very serious commitments; to love, honor, sometimes ”obey”, to cleave only to our spouse until death do us part. These are also very clear instructions; and we have great intentions going in and hopefully throughout the process.

But do the lines blur? Do we find ourselves elevating our spouses to such a high place in our lives that they become a “god” to us? For anyone who has been married, they are well aware that marriage, even a healthy and happy marriage is a lot of work. We are focused on our spouse; we want to make them happy, provide for them, love them, honor them, and take care of them. We spend a lot of time on our relationship. Before marriage, we first want to get the other persons attention and be memorable. Once we have been successful at this task, we then must initiate some type of meaningful relationship. We spend a lot of time talking, and thinking about the other person – wondering if they are thing about us. Once we have a vested interest that we want to pursue, we have to solidify the connection we have made. We put our best foot forward; we are on our best behavior, we are mindful of how we dress and what we say. We want to impress that person. Once that hurdle is crossed and genuine feelings begin to emerge, we contemplate taking a more serious step; a step to a committed relationship. Our thoughts and feelings become more intense. We begin to fantasize about a life together, and can even visualize what time spent with that person for the long haul would be like. And then we make the proposal, and all things being equal, our fantasies become our reality.

. Even in situations where marriage is not the issue, but love or seeking love is, do we step over the line? We spend so much time figuring out how to love and who to love that it can become all consuming. We worry about our significant other when they are not with us. At some times in a relationship, we can even be a little obsessed in thoughts and actions regarding the other person. Have they then become a ‘god’ to us?

Therein lies the question. The answer is simple. Do we spend as much time developing our relationship with God? Do we want to make him happy? Do we wonder if we are memorable to God? Do we actively pursue our relationship with our Divine Creator, hoping that this is a relationship that will last forever? Are we obsessive about our walk with our Higher Power?

We cannot afford to have blurry lines. We are to honor and love our spouses, as they love and honor God – in that order and under those conditions.

Make sure that the lines are clear. There shall be no god before God!