Married - For Better or Worse

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.