What's the Point of Marriage?

Shock 'n awe. Sorry - figured that title would shake up my more recent ones... ;)

I didn't come up with the question on my own - it's the title of an article you can read here. A friend posted the link on Facebook yesterday, and the title did what it was intended - grabbed my attention. So I read the article and found it quite interesting...  I'm not sure there's anything new in the article, but sometimes things hit in a fresh way, and this was one of those times. It has me thinking...

Here's a short excerpt:

"The Book of Genesis, for instance, takes us back to God's drawing board, where we see what He designed for man and woman. Marriage was meant for companionship—"It's not good for the man to be alone" (Genesis 2:18 NASB). It was meant for raising children—''Be fruitful and multiply" (Genesis 1:28 NASB). Most Christians would agree on those two goals. But Genesis assigns a third meaning to marriage: joint, fulfilling service. God placed Adam and Eve in the Garden and said: "Take care of this, you two. It's a big job, and you'll need each other. Together—till, plant, replenish, create" (see Genesis 2:15; 1:28).

We hunger for this today: cooperating together, meshing, working like a mountain climbing team, ascending the peak of our dream, and then holding each other at the end of the day. God has planted this hunger deep within every married couple. It's more than a hunger for companionship. It's more than a hunger to create new life. It's a third hunger, a hunger to do something significant together. According to God's Word, we were joined to make a difference. We were married for a mission.

Marriage expert Dennis Rainey says, "One of the missing ingredients of couples today is they do not have a mission; they do not have a sense of God having called them together to do something as a couple."

I love my Man and have no doubt that God brought us together. We are companions, lovers - best friends. We enjoy being together and rarely look for those opportunities to have the "girls or guys night out."  I realize it's healthy to have some time apart, but... it's just not something we look for. I guess we're still honeymooning after 3+ years! 

So that covers Gen 2:18.

We are both so excited to have our little family of two grow to three...and to whatever size God plans for us. That covers Gen 1:28.

As for our mission? This is what has me thinking... and praying. Sure, I have many vague ideas, even convictions, of what we're to work toward together as a couple... but does God have something more specific for us?  Something to ponder. To pray about. To ask for God's wisdom and guidance in this...

If you're married - do you know what your marriage mission is?