Marriage Vows: Not just something you say, but you do…for a lifetime!
It is that time of year when a lot of weddings take place. In a world where it seems like marriages are a dime a dozen and divorce has become the norm, let’s review traditional marriage vows.
Yes, a lot of people may write their own vows, but let’s take a look at what traditional wedding vows are all about. 
Marriage vows, whether they are from the Book of Common Prayer from five centuries ago, from a specific denomination, or those we write ourselves, do not appear in the Bible. The words, the vows themselves, may be written by man, BUT the commitment is clearly written by God.
Most traditional wedding vows go a little something like this:
“I, _____, take you, _____, for my lawful wife/husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do us part. I will love and honor you all the days of my life.”
What Do Wedding Vows Really Mean?
Whether you are married or are thinking about getting married, this is the commitment you are making to your spouse – to be there for them no matter what comes your way. These vows have been used for hundreds of years and represent a tradition.
Marriage is sacred. It represents how the Lord views his relationship to us.
“Therefore, what God has joined together, let no one separate” (Mark 10:9). This is what it means to be married.
“Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her…” (Ephesians 5:25). The love we have for our spouse should be as unconditional as God’s love for each and every one of us.
“Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh” (Genesis 2:24). Once you are married you are committed to that person for the rest of your life and your lives become one.
When we recite our vows, think about the meaning of those words. You are making a solemn oath.
“To have and to hold from this day forward.” We are making the promise that as of today, we are a team who face the world and everything that comes with it together. “For better for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health.”
With these words, you are pledging their love to one another. You are making a promise that even if/when something doesn’t go the way you want it to, you will always be there to support each other. Every marriage will experience struggles, trials, and mishaps as well as happiness, joy, and achievements. The vows we say bond us to another person now and forever. Just as the Lord is dedicated to us.
If you are married, do you remember the vows you said at your wedding and the commitment you were promising when you said them? Or do you just remember the party and the pomp and circumstance? It can be easy to forget the promise you made to one another and the meaning behind that promise, especially when things get difficult. When that happens, remember the vows you made to one another. Remind yourself just how sacred and precious their meaning, and your marriage, are. And if you aren’t married, we hope that when the time comes for you to recite these vows to your future spouse, that you remember the value and meaning of the words.