Marriage

Here are some traditional vows which are commonly exchanged at wedding ceremonies:

"Do you promise to love, comfort, honor and keep [him/her] For better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health. And forsaking all others, be faithful only to [him/her] so long as you both shall live?"

We all say them. But, do we truly think about what we are promising until something bad happens? I think that it is absurd to commit to someone in marriage until you can whole heartedly promise these things, rain or shine. Like parenting, marriage can prove to be the most challenging yet rewarding thing in the world! I am not expert, that's for sure. All I have is five years of marriage under my belt. However, I know that Christ must be kept at the center of it all. During my last semester at Baylor I took a Marriage & Family Therapy class and absoultely loved it! I even considered furthering my education in this field. National statistics suggest that the divorce rate is now above 50%. I truly believe that if couples live by those vows (among other things) this statistic would decrease.

Here are five suggestions to build and foster a Christian marriage (found on a Christian web site):

1. Pray together
2. Read the Bible together. Experience the Holy Spirit together.
3. Make decisions together.
4. Attend church together
5. Continue dating.

These are some things that are VERY easy to stray away from. This would only benefit any marriage and family. We should each appreciate our spouse and pay attention to our marriages.