The Danger of Fairy Tale Romance: A Reality Check for Marriage

The Danger of Fairy Tale Romance

As little girls, we often dreamed of being a damsel in distress, held captive by a fire-breathing dragon, and saved by a knight in shining armor. We grew up, but our love for romantic books and movies didn't fade away. We still tend to gravitate towards stories where the guy and girl always make it in the end and achieve romantic bliss. However, as we enter marriage, we need to realize that fairy tale romance is a dangerous illusion that can hurt our relationships.

Don't get me wrong; romantic bliss is one part of marriage, but it's the hard-fought battles won with grace that sustain a marriage. A marriage built on the foundation of Jesus Christ is a lifetime of covenant love, where you choose to love your spouse selflessly, no matter the circumstances.

The Reality of Marriage

Marriage is a gift from God, and in His design, it is meant to bring glory to Him. In Genesis 2:18, God saw that it was not good for man to be alone, so He created woman to be his helper. Later in Genesis 2:24, God says, "Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh."

In the New Testament, Paul emphasizes the importance of marriage in Ephesians 5:22-33. He explains that a husband should love his wife as Christ loved the church, and a wife should submit to her husband as the church submits to Christ. These roles are not easy, and they require a lot of grace and humility. In marriage, you will face challenges, disagreements, and even heartbreak, but it is through these trials that you learn to love each other more deeply.

Marriage is not a fairy tale; it's a journey of self-discovery, where you learn to love your spouse more and more each day. It's a journey of forgiveness, where you learn to extend grace to each other, just as Christ extends grace to us. It's a journey of sacrifice, where you learn to put your spouse's needs above your own.

The Danger of Fairy Tale Romance

The danger of fairy tale romance is that it sets unrealistic expectations for marriage. It makes us believe that love is easy and that we will always be happy and in love. It makes us believe that our spouse will always be perfect, and we will never have to deal with their flaws or shortcomings. It makes us believe that if we find the "perfect" person, we will have the perfect marriage.

However, this is not the reality of marriage. Marriage is messy, and it's not always easy. There will be times when you don't feel in love, times when you disagree, and times when you hurt each other. In these times, it's important to remember that love is a choice, not just a feeling. You choose to love your spouse even when it's hard, even when you don't feel like it.

The danger of fairy tale romance is that it also puts the focus on ourselves rather than on God. It makes us believe that our happiness is the most important thing in our marriage. It makes us believe that if we're not happy, then we should leave. However, this is not what God intended for marriage. Marriage is meant to glorify Him, not ourselves. It's meant to reflect the love that Christ has for the church.

The Reality of God's Love

If we want to have a successful marriage, we need to look to God's love as our example. In 1 Corinthians 13:4-7, Paul describes what love looks like. He says, "Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things."

God's love is sacrificial, selfless, and unconditional. He loved us so much that He sent His only Son to die for us, so that we could have eternal life (John 3:16). In the same way, we are called to love our spouse sacrificially, selflessly, and unconditionally. We are called to put their needs above our own, just as Christ put our needs above His own.

When we look to God's love as our example, we can have a marriage that lasts a lifetime. We can have a marriage where we choose to love each other even when it's hard, where we extend grace and forgiveness to each other, and where we put God first.

Conclusion

Marriage is not a fairy tale, but it's so much better. It's a journey of self-discovery, forgiveness, and sacrifice. It's a journey where we learn to love our spouse more and more each day, just as Christ loves us.

If you're single, don't believe the lie that fairy tale romance is real. Instead, focus on building a relationship with God and becoming the person He has called you to be. If you're married, remember that love is a choice, not just a feeling. Choose to love your spouse selflessly, even when it's hard. Put God at the center of your marriage, and you will have a marriage that lasts a lifetime.

Remember, fairy tale romance is a dangerous illusion, but God's love is real, and it's the foundation of a successful marriage.