The devotion factor

In my last article I covered what being committed meant to me( no I'm not talking about jail time).In this article I would like to talk about being devoted to or having devotion to your mate. Webster defines devoted as being bound by strong affection, loyal and zealous. I would really like to break down this definition because I think it really hits the head on what it takes to have a marriage that will withstand anything and will truly last forever, or till death do us part.
Bound by strong affection. To be bound from a marriage perspective is to be morally(in respect to right and wrong conduct) attached. Affection is fondness and tender feelings for someone. So part of being devoted to our mate is to be morally attached with a strong fondness and tender feelings for them. I think all of us start out that way in our marriages, but how do we keep it? One way is by being loyal, or being faithful in allegiance to whom fidelity( the adherence to the contract of marriage) is owed. In other words, not going outside the marriage with someone of the opposite sex for needs that we think aren't being met by our spouse.I don't think this means just sexual, we shouldn't be confiding personal issues about our spouses to others that could lead us into temptation. Most affairs start out innocently.
The last part of being devoted is to be zealous, this is my favorite definition to break down because it is the key to having the right attitude to make our marriage survive. Zealous means persistent fervent devotion. Let's dig into this one deeper because many couples don't understand the vows they take when they get married. To be persistent means to continue in spite of opposition. How many of us have had opposition in our marriages? Fervent means emotionally intense, and devotion is love given with the whole heart and will. The and will is very important because our will to do something often has to overcome our emotion not to do something. So being zealous for our mates is continuing on with them despite opposition with an emotionally intense love given with our whole heart and will. What a powerful statement! Isn't this what we all feel when we first decide to marry someone? I don't think any of us go into marriage thinking it will end in divorce, but we let opposition take over our emotions instead of being persistent in fighting for the commitments we made to each other.
As you can see, being devoted and being committed are tied very closely to each other. You don't have to be a Christian or a religious person to realize that these are both character traits that we should all strive for in every area of our lives not just our marriages.