Hostess: Renee Swope
Contributing Writer: Jill Tracey
The Bible says to leave our parents and cleave to our spouses – but what does that mean? Hi, I’m Renee Swope for Proverbs 31 Ministries. In the book of Genesis, God describes marriage as a man and woman detaching themselves from their families of origin and attaching themselves to each other.
A co-worker of mine recently discovered she’d never completed this process! She was talking to her mother 4 or 5 times a day and doing things just to make her parents happy. She realized she hadn’t let go of mom and dad so she could completely commit herself to her husband. My friend started a painful process of setting healthy boundaries and balanced priorities. She said it was like cutting roots that had grown strong, thick and entangled, and were much harder to cut because of the years they’d remained attached.
So, I wonder if we still have some leaving and cleaving to do. Chances are it’ll be hard - but definitely worth the work! For more marriage encouragement, click on Everyday Life at Proverbs31.org.
Related Resources
Becoming the Woman of His Dreams, by Sharon Jaynes
Free Devotion, Marriage According To God, by Rachel Olsen
Visit Renee’s Blog
Contributing Writer: Jill Tracey
The Bible says to leave our parents and cleave to our spouses – but what does that mean? Hi, I’m Renee Swope for Proverbs 31 Ministries. In the book of Genesis, God describes marriage as a man and woman detaching themselves from their families of origin and attaching themselves to each other.
A co-worker of mine recently discovered she’d never completed this process! She was talking to her mother 4 or 5 times a day and doing things just to make her parents happy. She realized she hadn’t let go of mom and dad so she could completely commit herself to her husband. My friend started a painful process of setting healthy boundaries and balanced priorities. She said it was like cutting roots that had grown strong, thick and entangled, and were much harder to cut because of the years they’d remained attached.
So, I wonder if we still have some leaving and cleaving to do. Chances are it’ll be hard - but definitely worth the work! For more marriage encouragement, click on Everyday Life at Proverbs31.org.
Related Resources
Becoming the Woman of His Dreams, by Sharon Jaynes
Free Devotion, Marriage According To God, by Rachel Olsen
Visit Renee’s Blog
2 Comments:
How far do you go in leaving parents relationship, do you cut off having any kind of relationship? or do you set boundaries that are very unrealistic and very controling and manipulative?I'm on the other side of the fence,Please enlighten me, there is no relationship at all any longer been that way for years, is that what God requires in leaving and cleaving?there is only one in the family behaving this way, all the others, we have a good relationship, though they are married,why would one be handling it in this way, could it be spousal input?
Hi Anonymous,
I am so sorry for the loss you have experienced when one of your children got married. That is not at all God's plan. God tell us to leave and cleave so that we can become one flesh and start a new family as husband and wife, but as we see all throughout the Bible extended family is very important to God. The roles just change but the value of those relationships do not. I am praying today that God will restore the years of loss and that you can find out the reasons behind this severing of ties, and that God will be glorified through it all.
Sweet blessings,
Renee
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