The Need for Strong Marriages

My friend Eric Metaxas asserts, "If strong marriages are the foundation of a healthy society, we've got a lot of repair work to do."

He cites several alarming statistics. In 2010, for the first time in our history, married couples no longer form the majority of American households. In 1950, married couples made up 78 percent of all households. In 2010, they made up only 48 percent of American households--a nearly forty percent decline! Furthermore married couples with kids comprise only 20 percent of households in America. This makes me, a man married to the same woman for 18 years with three kids, a rare breed in America. Dare I say an endangered species?

I am not trying to toot my own horn. I am making a humble plea for couple to get married and remain faithful to their wedding vows. Examine the raw data. Fidelity in marriage results in more wealth, better health, and more prosperous children. The statistics all point to the same conclusion: If you want your kids to do well in life, get married and stay married.

Of course, marriage isn't for everyone. I have many friends and some family members who are single. Some have chosen to remain single. But for those who want to live together and those who want to have kids, marriage is clearly the best option. Oh, and yes, it is God's design.

To view or listen to Eric's commentary, click here.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

All His Children

This has been a trying time for our family. Like many across the country, I've been "downsized." We're having to do with less--not a bad discipline. I hope we can remember the lessons we are learning when things take a turn for the better. At the same time, some of my friends are enjoying tremendous opportunities for ministry, and I'm not a part of it. Do I despair? Give way to bitterness? Doubt God's providence? No. We are to know "how to abound and how to be in want." Contentment is hard to learn, but very rewarding. I found the following devotional from C. H. Spurgeon's Morning and Evening very encouraging in light of our current circumstances. It is based on Galatian 3:26: "You are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus." The fatherhood of God is common to all his children. Ah! Little-faith, you have often said, "Oh that I had the courage of Great-heart, that I could wield his sword and be as valiant as he! But, alas
Read more

The First Thanksgiving without My Mom

A very long while ago, Paul asked me if I wanted to be a "guest blogger". I declined. I didn't have anything to say. (Shocking, I know.) Tonight, I am having a hard time sleeping, so I thought I would give it a try. Here goes.... Grief is a funny thing. I have compared it to an ocean often in the past 9 months since I have experienced it in a new way after my moms death. It was incredibly choppy the first several weeks. As the months went on it became easier on a daily basis. Then those waves would come... almost out of nowhere. It just rolls right over you sometimes with an almost shocking intensity. So, tonight is one of those nights. I knew it was coming. I've known for about a month now, wondering when it would hit and dreading it. Here it is. My first Thanksgiving without her. And this Thanksgiving particularly, I would really like to share with her. I really, really miss her. I feel like part of my history went with her. No one can answer "
Read more

Works of Art

Image
A friend of mine recently wrote me about his attitude toward his children. I thought it was worth passing along: Why don't I see the beauty that God has placed all around me – my children?  I see work – not works of art.  I see busyness – not joyful and eternal business.  I see inconvenience, not scenes of heaven.  Daily I prove that my pride means so much to me. Especially in light of the recent shooting in Ohio, I want to hug my kids, pray with and for them, and be more grateful for the gifts of God they are.
Read more