Marriage Fails

Marriages are failing! As I reflect on the state of marriage I see almost complete and utter failure. Here is the latest statistic I found:
• 50–60 percent of marriages end in divorce, according to multiple online sources.

That is failure. What this statistic leaves out is how many marriages might as well be divorced as all they are doing is merely “existing” in misery. I would venture a guess to say that number is well above 80% of marriages as that is the percentage of marriages that will experience infidelity. These are numbers that apply to everyone, religious and non-religious alike.

With these numbers fresh in our minds it’s no wonder that the world has become less and less excited about growing up and getting married. The trend is becoming more and more “let’s just live together instead of getting married because if it doesn’t work out it’s much easier to split.”

There is so much pain and brokenness out there as a result of marriage people are not just turning from it, they are running from it like it’s a plague with only one goal: To destroy them!

Those of you who have become so cynical about marriage and relationships in general have good reason to be the way you are. You have probably been hurt and/or seen marriage ruin lives. You have probably said “I will never let that happen to me/again.” Shielding ourselves from potential pain is a very familiar reaction we all have. Nobody likes to get hurt. Nobody enjoys pain.

However, for those of us who claim to follow Jesus, all this cynicism creates a problem. The importance of marriage in scripture cannot be ignored as Jesus uses marriage as an analogy for His desired relationship with us. The intimacy God longs to have with us is compared to the intimacy we could have in our marital relationships. Those who love Jesus are referred to as the “Bride” and Jesus as the “Bridegroom.” We cannot ignore the pure romanticism, intimacy and love as described between the “bride” and “bridegroom” in the Songs of Solomon. However intimate the bride and groom relationship is represented there, the possible intimacy with God is so much greater.

But most of us aren’t experiencing that intimacy in our marriages. In all of the pain, tragedy and brokenness all that’s left is bitterness, regret and cynicism. Many of these feelings have led us to ask “What’s the point?” The reasons we got married have proven to be unattainable and we feel like our spouses failed us and we them.

I want to tell you that there is hope! I want to tell you that there is a point. I want to tell you that you can have everything God designed marriage to be. Share this blog/article with everyone one you know because every week or so I am going to be sharing with you the reasons we get married and why they fail. Then I am going to share with you the real point and purpose of marriage, why we haven’t been able to see it and how we can break off the chains and truly live! Get ready for God to bring transformation to you, your marriage and your family.

Jesse Birkey
Author of “Marriage What’s The Point?”
www.marriagewhatsthepoint.com
Read the first chapter for free at the website and discover the tragedy this book was written out of!

Author's Bio: 

The son of a pastor, Jesse grew up in the church with an intellectual knowledge of God. As a teenager he faced the same struggles as everyone else especially in the area of acceptance. He married his school sweetheart, made a career as a firefighter/paramedic and had two beautiful children. His life was enviable and he found security in what he had until God allowed his most treasured relationship, his marriage, to be tested. The veil was pulled back and he was able to see himself as he was "poor, blind and naked". He came to the revelation that he needed a relationship with God and not a religion. He made a choice to die to himself, sacrificing his own selfish desires and learned to walk in obedience to God. God restored his marriage, but even more started him on a journey of understanding true love and intimacy. God has given Jesse a ministry of setting the captives free through Jesus Christ. He uses his website, www.marriagewhatsthepoint.com, as an outreach for the hurting and broken.