Modern Marriage

I was reading a blog and came to a posting about an article called "The Case for Early Marriage", in a magazine called Christianity Today.

This article outlines how marriage has changed in today's society, from that of biblical times, and how that has affected people's outlook on marriage. It stresses how much of an issues sex has become with young adults, especially as they post-pone getting married until their mid- to late- 20s in order to become independent before settling down. Not only that, but how society today is focusing on different things then what is truly biblical, when it comes to promoting and showing young people the proper way to find their mate.

One sentence near the end was particularly powerful, for me who has divorced parents, but also as someone who is seeking to 'find my mate' one day down the line.

"The importance of Christian marriage as a symbol of God's covenantal faithfulness to his people—and a witness to the future union of Christ and his bride—will only grow in significance as the wider Western culture diminishes both the meaning and actual practice of marriage. Marriage itself will become a witness to the gospel."

Not that this quote will help me to 'find a mate', but it really got me thinking about what marriage means to me. I have quite a few friends that are married and in what I would consider to be successful marriages (they are about 10 years my seniors, and usually we become friends because I connected with their children first). I very much look up to them and their marriages, especially as I seek to find that special someone and 'love of my life' to spend my life with (and usually they have a suggestion or two every time we get together as someone I should meet...just in case...). As I get closer with some of them, they are opening up to me about struggles and frustrations within their marriages...and sometimes it is hard for me to hear that (as my reality believes they are a perfect couple), but it is helpful to come to the reality that marriage is not always all the glitz and glam and happiness, it's more like hard work that has it's blessings that come out of that hard work. You're not going to be happy 100% of the time, but it's the overall happiness that should be there, as you and your partner work together on a marriage that is based within, and for, the glory of Christ.

The article doesn't discuss this, but it reminds me of my stance on divorce. I personally see a difference in marriages with faith compared to those without. I don't think the statistics out there are right about divorce rates and how they are the same between Christians and non-Christians (I would like to argue that some of those people in the studies who call themselves Christians, are not the most devote Christians - and it doesn't mean that Christ was in the middle of their marriage that is no longer). But, I can see the difference. Couples can struggle with the same issues, but I see Christians as having that strength in the middle of their relationship (that being God) where they can come together to rely on Him and to seek His refuge and strength to keep moving forward together. Non-Christians don't necessarily have that. Same thing in dating relationships. If God is truly the center of the relationship, it makes a huge difference - and I can't wait to feel and understand that difference when I find who God has in store for me.

I feel like I could go on forever on this topic. Not because I'm a professional or anything, but because the way this article talks about marriage, and the tangents that I've taken, are something that have been very prominent in my moving forward with my mindset and continuing to learn what I want in my (hopefully) not-so-distant future (of course, I realize it's all in God's timing as well!).