Tuesday, January 28,
2014
As
the Scriptures say, “A man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his
wife, and the two are united into one.”
When our youngest, Carrie, married Shannon, they bought a house. The house they thought they would buy turned
out to have major problems (besides the bank that wanted them to sign all those
papers!).
That house had a foundation problem; it was built on a shaky foundation. Fifty years ago the code allowed 2' x 8'
floor joists, spaced 24" apart.
Today that is considered substandard. In addition, the basement leaked like a
sieve. It leans in several
directions! The construction was not
exactly professional.
Secondary problems occur when you try to prop-up shoddy construction. The previous owners had put poles in the
basement to support the sagging floor; that only added to the problem, rather
than helping to solve it. As explained
to me by the house inspector, when the poles took the weight off the sagging
floor, it also took the load off the walls of the basement.
That load is part of the strength of a
basement wall. Without the load from the
covering floor, years of pressure from the outside dirt (and water that won't
drain away) pushed the weakened walls in to the point where collapse of the
walls (and the fall of any Humpty Dumptys above) is imminent!
Now, that house is a picture of what has happened to marriage and the
family in our society today. Divorce,
like the basement poles, has become so simple, and prevalent in dealing with
marital pressures, less than a third of marriages survive a dozen years any
more. There are weakened walls in
marriage everywhere.
Now, God knew those pressures (financial, relational, emotional) would
be in marriage. In fact those pressures
help a married couple become one flesh, which is God's design. Like the pressure from above, those troubles
drive us together to work out our marriage vows. Take away that weight, and the weakened walls
of marriage cave-in to the weight of the dirt and stagnant society that says: give it up; you don't need him...Pack it in, she's not worth it!
Today
If you’re married,
give thanks in times of pressure – such times teach you where the strength of God
is holding true to make you “one” in your relationship.
If marriage is
in your future, resolve to prepare for the times of pressure; like all of life’s
trials, God will use them to perfect something in you and your spouse.
If single-again
through death or divorce, the pressure lessons of your life are still
God’s blessing.
If you're single by choice, pray for married couples you know - they're going through pressure you can't see, and the walls do creak.
Title background: Rod Anderson – http://www.christianpost.com/news/a-strong-marriage-60142/
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