It is a travesty that couples today marry too
quickly without knowledge of who they are marrying or having a clue about what
marriage really is. Commitment tends to be based on what a spouse can do for a
person, rather than forming the basis of the marriage relationship. If a spouse
sins against the other, doesn’t meet needs, doesn’t light up the others life,
gets sick or in any other way doesn’t measure up; the thought is that it must
be time for a divorce. It is horrible and really, quite maddening. People
today, Christians, divorce for any and every reason and offer lame excuses and
rationalization for why they commit sin by divorcing their spouses.
Do
you know that 80% of couples who experience long-term illness in their marriage
life divorce – it is a horrible, tragic consequence of this “me first”
mentality that permeates our culture today. During one documentary, a wife of a
cancer sufferer actually said that she wished her husband would just die if he
was going to die, because she wasn’t getting any younger and with three sons,
she would have a difficult time finding a new husband. What? It is one of the
coldest, most callused remarks I think I have ever heard! It is appalling, but
yet while others may not say the words, they live out the thoughts through
their actions. What happened to the promise to love one another through
sickness and health, for better or worse for life? Christians divorce their sick
spouses and it is a shame on the church today! In another case, a pastor
recommended divorce for a man whose wife was seriously ill and not able to care
for herself. She was in a care facility and the thought was that there wasn’t
anything else the husband could do, so he should just move on with his life.
What about loving his wife until death do them part!?!
One
couple I know has lived out this commitment through 48 years of marriage. Don
and Peggy Marquard have suffered setbacks and dramatic life-changing events
throughout their marriage. Peggy has suffered from Myasthenia Gravis, a
life-threatening, debilitating disease for which there is no cure. They have
endured many hardships throughout the 41 years she has had this terrible
disease, but Don’s leaving the relationship was never considered. Peggy now has
cancer that resulted from her disease, but to see them together is an
incredible blessing. They have a peace and a joy about them that most “well”
couples do not have! We need to see this kind of commitment in marriages today
in the church! Then there will be testimony of what a marriage is like! You can
read the complete article about Don and Peggy at http://www.fortifiedmarriages.com/For%20Better%20or%20Worse%20-%20Remaining%20Together%20When%20Life%20is%20Difficult%20by%20Chris%20Garner.pdf.
