I will soon be off to help celebrate the 40th wedding anniversary of some friends. It is to be a surprise and so far the secret is being kept. I have been blessed by a few people who are genuine good friends and they are in that bunch. That is Friends not “friends”. They are a constant challenge spiritually and intellectually.
When I was young a couple staying married 40 years would have been considered normal. Divorce happened but I didn’t see it much in my parents generation. Even in my circle I did not see it. Of course I went to college in the 60's and didn’t see any campus protests either. I guess I lived in a bubble, but that is a good thing.
They have gone through some struggles. They have stayed the course. I would imagine that there were times when they would repeat a phrase that keeps coming up in marriages that make it, “Divorce is not an option”.
Why is divorce not an option? The only reason is spiritual. Our culture has embraced divorce as well as a lifestyle of fornication. For this couple as well as most of my circle the reason we keep at it and make it work is not that we are such jewels but because our faith in Christ includes the Biblical standard of marriage: One man, one woman, til death do us part. Anything less is a foundation of sand.
We are at 44 and still counting. I trust we will make it to 45 and they will make it to 41.
homo unius libri
I say that my wife and I have endured 36 years of "welded bliss." (Yes, I meant to say "welded.")
ReplyDeleteIt is easy to tell who's wife never reads their blog. Actually I guess this is my blog, isn't it?
DeleteGrace and peace