Do people still believe in marriage in our generation?
And when I say marriage, I'm referring to the idea of a lifelong institution of commitment where a man and a woman choose to share their lives together.
The more I hear from friends and acquaintances, the more I realise that it seems like more and more of our generation are becoming increasingly cynical and fearful of marriage as a sacred commitment.
I'm afraid to even imagine how the next generation are going to be dealing with it...
And as divorces go up, less marriages in general, and more live in partners start occurring, the example that we set for the next generation continues to be less and less credible in terms of the concept of a family unit.
Someone posted the following article (Death of marriage) on facebook and immediately had friends liking it and stating that marriage is really due to societal pressures rather than for yourself.
Call me an idealist and unrealistic but I completely believe in the idea of marriage. I grew up in American international schools where so many of my friends grew up in single parent households and so it's not that I've not been exposed to the cynicism and perspectives that marriage is not worth it because so many fall apart.
Marriage is a lifelong commitment. There are not many things I look forward to nowadays more than going home to my wife. The wedding is ultimately not for society and not even for the parents and family - it is a covenant made before God that I consider even more important than getting that legal parchment signed and approved.
Is it more important to be married under the eyes of man or the eyes of God? Is marriage a holy and sacred covenant, or is a legally binding contract that only lasts as long as both parties are willing?
This is not to say that every marriage is going to work out or that if you believe in a romantic, idealistic concept of marriage, it's going to work out for sure. A marriage is also hard work. It's grueling and means that sometimes the couple will have to walk through mud together, and face incredible challenges from time to time.
Isn't it better then, to make sure that you try to stack the odds in your favour rather than against?
If you don't believe in it, how are you going to make it last when the trials of fire come? Or do you believe that in a great marriage, there are no horribly challenging periods at all?
If you're living in with someone whom you're not married to, you lose part of the foundation that you're building with the person...the foundation of self control, self sacrifice and treating the act of joining as husband and wife as something sacred and beautiful.
If you keep dating around and keep switching anytime something is difficult without persevering, you'll get used to having a way out and the thought that maybe there's someone better out there for you. Human nature loves to have avenues to feel that the grass is greener on the other side, but the truth is that the grass is greener with the person whom God wants you to be with.
I'm glad for some great examples in my church of lasting, God-centered marriages (although I'm not so blind to think that there are no divorces in church). I'm just saying that there are those who choose to light the way of what can be and how to head in the right direction, no matter how many times you stumble.
I hope that I can eventually be one of those examples that fight against the way the world is flowing by standing up for this beautiful gift that God has given for us to take care of.
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