Marriage Isn't About Happiness. It's About ...
According to the most recent US Census and CDC statistics, marriage rates in the US are holding steady and divorce rates have actually been declining a little in recent years. Yet even with the decline, divorce rates are staggeringly high. As reported by the Modern Family Law group, “As of 2024, the U.S. divorce rate remains between 40% to 50% for first marriages … “
Further key statistics they report are:
- A marriage which ends in divorce lasts an average of only 8 yrs
- The likelihood of divorce increases with subsequent marriages, with around 60-67% of second marriages ending in divorce, and it’s even worse for third marriages which boast a nearly 70% failure rate
- Gray divorce (divorce among adults 50 yrs and older) is on the rise
But on the up side, statistics bear out what we’ve known for a long time about the impact of faith on marriage and family:
“Religion can significantly impact marriage stability. According to Pew Research, individuals who regularly attend religious services are 14% less likely to divorce compared to those who do not. In contrast, those without any religious affiliation experience higher divorce rates, with around 50% of religiously unaffiliated marriages ending in divorce. Additionally, cultural attitudes towards divorce differ widely; for example, certain communities or religious groups may view divorce as a last resort, influencing both the likelihood of divorce and the stigma attached to it.”
Marriage is … HARD! It has never been intended to be entered into absent the presence of God and the practice of faith.
One internet blogger, Elizabeth Johnson, sums it up this way:
“The reason that marriage is hard is because it’s not about happiness; it’s about holiness. We enter marriage looking for the perfect love, but God uses marriage to perfect our love. It’s not about finding the right person; it’s about becoming the right person. It’s not about being served; it’s about serving.
"Let marriage be held in honor among all ..." (Hebrews 13:4, ESV).
"Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh" (Genesis 2:24, ESV).
Hearing What We Want to Hear
It was June 15th 1992, my pretty wife and I had been married for exactly one year. We were at a cozy little bed and breakfast in Eastern Tennessee called the Scarecrow Country Inn. I was doing a lot of things to make our time together perfect and memorable. I put a CD on and started the song that I knew would amaze and delight.
Softly in the back-ground the Little River Band began singing, "Happy anniversary baby, Got you on my mind. Happy anniversary, baby, Got you on my mind."
So far so good. But shortly after the intro was the line that caused me to sprint across the room and hit the off button.
"I'm so happy for you baby, Now that you've found somebody new ............." WHOAAA!!!!!
The rest of the lyrics did't matter.
We laughed about it later but at the time my mood music had become mud music!
How often have people listened to songs on the radio, rock and roll in particular, and said that they liked the music even though they could't understand the words very well? I know I have. But words mean things, and unfortunately, sometimes they mean bad things. But we reason that since we like the song and may not understand it anyway we'll just keep on listening.
I'm convinced many people listen to God and read His Word that way. As long as they like certain parts and it makes them feel good, they feel they do't have to worry about those other parts that make them uncomfortable.
God is love .... YES! God forgives ..... YES! Do not judge ..... YES!
Whoever does not take his cross and follow Me is not worthy of Me. YE ...... WHAT?
"For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths" (2 Timothy 4:3-4).
If you are going to listen to God you must listen to ALL He has to say.
That's Hot
The core temperature of the sun is fifteen million degrees centigrade. It is so hot that a pinhead heated to the temperature of the center of the sun "would emit enough heat to kill anyone who ventured within a thousand miles of it," explained physicist Sir James Jeans.
When a summer's day hits triple digits, most of us wilt. Imagine fifteen million degrees! It just goes to show, there's hot and there's hot. Likewise, there's holy and then there's holy. We can't begin to compare the triple digit righteousness of those we respect with what is attributed to God. The Bible tells us our God is "a consuming fire" (Hebrews. 12:29). In other words, we cannot draw near to Him in our sinful state without being consumed.