Marriage Tuesday

i don’t want to sound pessimistic,  but it sure seems like marriage is taking it on the chin these days…

between the mockery made of it on popular television shows and in the movies…to the high profile marriage travesties of senator edwards and tiger woods and sandra bullock and, and, and…to the whole gay marriage thing…yeah,  marriage may not be down for the count,  but it’s definitely down.

think about it:  it seems like for even some of the best of people,  marriage is nothing more than a crap shoot.   some marriages make it.   others don’t.   some marriages look great on the outside,  but inside they are nothing more than charades.   other marriages  possess some of the most horrid and painful relationship characteristics and behaviors,  yet they stay together for who-knows-what-reasons.

whether they end in divorce,  affairs,  or just empty cohabitation,  the fact remains that love, shared religious views, children, money, common interests, similar education, regional location, or just about anything else is not any kind of guarantee that a couple will marry and live happily ever after.

here’s my two cents…as a couple,  you’ve got to care about something bigger than yourselves.   you’ve got to see that the depth and purpose of your relationship means something more than just your happiness or success.

because of my love for god and my commitment to the good of the kingdom,  i’ve got to be able to say,  “i am going to live right,  love right,  and invest myself fully in this relationship for the honor and reputation of the kingdom of god and the good of all people who we come in contact with.   i’m going to give my best to my spouse because…more than anything… when people look at us,  i want them to see that knowing and serving jesus makes a difference…that i’m not just paying lip-service to the power of god at work in my life,  but that the same power that raised jesus from the dead is the precisely what can hold my marriage  (and anyone else’s marriage) together forever.   when my marriage fails on just about any level,  people are no longer seeing the greatness of god,  but the emptiness of selfish living.

this needs to hurt me so much that i am always continually motivated to  put the needs of god’s kingdom ahead of my own.   always.

that’s my only sure-fire plan for marriage success.

what do you think?

#affairs #divorce #marriage