"And the Two Shall Become One"

And the Two Shall Become One


A few days ago I was thinking about the phrase “and the two shall become one” in referring to the marriage relationship.

My husband and I do a lot of hospital calls since we’ve retired. We have seen the suffering of family members and friends as their loved one recovers from surgery or disease. We’ve prayed and grieved with others during the final stages of terminal illnesses. As a result, we know that the whole family needs prayers not just the sick individual.

A friend mentioned that her husband would soon have a medical test that required some advance preparation. We all agreed that she would be enduring his unpleasant ordeal as much as he would.

Later that evening, as I thought about our conversation, I began to understand the meaning of the phrase “and the two shall become one”.

When I had cancer, my husband worried about me and shared my anxiety awaiting results. When I was pregnant, he had morning sickness along with me. When he broke his foot and couldn’t sleep, I didn’t sleep well either. When our parents died, we shared each other’s grief.

We worship together and pray together. I know his thoughts, and he knows mine. He can say the first words of a joke, and I know which one it is. Often one of us will bring up an issue to discuss, only to discover the other one had been thinking about the same issue.

“And the two shall become one.” I like the idea and hope for many more years of sharing our oneness.