In a Bind...

According to Merriam-Webster, marriage is the state of being united to a person of the opposite sex as husband or wife in a consensual and contractual relationship recognized by law. And divorce is the action or an instance of legally dissolving a marriage. You heard it; marriage is a contract. Most contracts that I know of, when signed, are binding and cannot be broken for any reason or without penalty. Divorce is the term used for dissolving a marriage. Sugar dissolves in coffee; salt dissolves in boiling water. Isn’t it sad that a marriage can dissolve just as easily if it is allowed?

Marriage is very, very important to me. Many people think it’s just a piece of paper that can be torn up and disposed of at any time. I think differently. I don’t take my marriage vows lightly. I think the promises Justin and I made to each other in front of God are sacred. I’m talking about this now because something happened today that made me very sad.

Justin and I are acquainted with a man and woman that seemed like a perfectly happy couple married for 30 years. The wife left the husband abruptly with no explanation in the middle of the day while he wasn’t home. There is no specific, apparent reason why she left. She took her things, their money, and got her own place in a matter of hours. You would think that someone married for so long would have enough respect for their spouse to talk about their issues or at least tell them their intentions to leave.

I’m not here to judge what is right or wrong in God’s eyes, but I know that as a young married woman, it is quite discouraging to be living in a country where the divorce rate is at an all-time high and just continues to soar. If couples that have been married for 30 years decide that they no longer want to be together, what motivation do young couples have to fight to stay together? I love my husband more than anything and feel that no matter what, divorce is not an option. So many people get married with every great intention, but something happens somewhere along the way that makes them change their minds.

Where have all the good couples gone? Most of the ones I know, I find in church. I know that putting God first is the key to a happy marriage, and these people probably didn’t do that. Our country has moved so far away from God that people fail to acknowledge the need for Him in our lives and marriages. I, for one, know that God is the reason why my marriage is such a happy one. Marriage is definitely not easy; it is something that must be worked at. I don’t have all of the answers, but I do know where to find them; and they all start with God.

Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate. (Mark 10:9) There’s a reason why this is spoken in every marriage ceremony…