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The Importance of Leaving and Cleaving

Marriage

“For this reason, a man will leave his father and mother, be united to his wife and the two shall become one flesh.”

That verse, Genesis 2:24, is usually referred to in the context of marriage. But Pastor Ted Cunningham pointed out to me that it actually begins as an observation about parenting.

The verse declares that a man will leave his father and mother. It assumes that our children will leave home as adults, not as children who must then set out on a journey to become grownups on their own.

The verse communicates that adults build healthy relationships by separating from people when it’s healthy and appropriate to do so and by bonding to others for the same reason. That’s the essence of God’s “leaving and cleaving” design.

That’s why it’s important for we parents to understand that our relationship with our children must radically change once they enter the adult world. We have to cut the tether. In fact, the word translated as leave in Genesis 2:24 comes from a Hebrew word that actually means “to forsake.”

The good news is, detaching from a parent-child relationship opens the door for something equally as meaningful: an adult-adult relationship.

My recent conversation with Pastor Ted Cunningham will help you understand that journey a little better. We’ve titled it “The Importance of Leaving and Cleaving,” and you can hear it on your local radio station, online, on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or on our free phone app.

Ted offers great tips for successfully cutting old tethers with your children and forming new ones. Learn how to help your children “leave and cleave” in a way that empowers them to strike out into marriage with confidence and to have strong, meaningful relationships with their family and friends.

Ted contributed to a Focus on the Family project called, Ready to Wed: 12 Ways to Start a Marriage You’ll Love, which is available for a gift of any amount. Visit our website or give us a call at 1-800-A-FAMILY (232-6459).

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Topics: Family and Home Tags: marriage June 4, 2021 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

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Comments

  1. Jane Otipa says

    June 9, 2021 at 10:05 am

    -I am learning quite a lot from the ‘parenting with wisdom’ devotional on you version. I had to come here for more. Thank you so much.

    Reply

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Jim-Daly President of Focus on the Family
Jim Daly
with Paul Batura

Posts by Jim

My Passion for the Harvest

Do You Believe in Miracles?

Centering Your Marriage on Christ

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Daly Focus

Jim-Daly Jim Daly is a husband, father and President of Focus on the Family and host of its National Radio Hall of Fame broadcast. His blog, Daly Focus, is full of timely commentary and wisdom designed to help you navigate and understand today’s culture. His latest book is Marriage Done Right.

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