I do not entirely understand the Fibonacci series. Does anyone? I know that it is a system of numbers that shows up in surprising places. But the part that truly matters to me is that Someone set it up. Wow. An artichoke, a sunflower, and a pine cone are all designed with this miraculous spiraling pattern? It even governs the ancestry of bees, who probably have not noticed.

 

I think there is a miraculous series underpinning marriage too. 

 

Imagine if you will the Maker's Goal of enticing each of us to our highest celestial potential. How could this be done? One of the difficulties lies in what God has to work with. We are damaged goods, and yet we are the tools at hand. I have never heard of anyone regenerating in solitary confinement, although I suppose it is possible. He or she just never told anybody. 

 

I know! How about each of us have our own personal coach/antagonist/carrot wrapped into one adorable package?

 

Take Joe for example. He starts out as a flawed, basically selfish schmuck who is attracted to Jill.  She, too is flawed and selfish, but is more skillful at camouflage. To garner Jill's attention for any length of time Joe discovers, albeit slowly, that she is more successfully wooed by kindness than schmuckiness. Gradually Joe learns, first by brute force, later by habit, and finally by free choice to treat her kindly. 

 

Meanwhile Jill, who is enjoying Joe's attention, figures out that keeping it requires more than an expensive haircut. She too is motivated to improve her character, first for basically narcissistic reasons (keeping Joe interested) and later for more spiritual ones. 

 

It reminds me of the progression of those Fibonacci numbers. 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, 89, 144, 233, 377... It starts off with teeny steps. They get bigger. Then abruptly the leaps are substantial. 

 

Personal improvement in the marriage setting can feel this way. Progress is minimal in the beginning.

 

The pairing idea is brilliant. If we were only loosely connected with other schmucks we would all bail early in the spiral. People would be flailing in every direction, like teenagers on a poorly designed carnival ride who refuse to buckle their seat belts. But this covenant thing keeps us around long enough to see the golden ratio do its stuff. 

 

I think it works even if we are no more observant about the process than bees.