For those of you who haven't been divorced, I'm curious as to why you believe your marriage has lasted. Some say common interest, while others say interests change. Some say compatibility, but how compatible equals compatible? People marry for the wrong reasons, get counseling, and then everything's fine. While there are others who marry, get counseling, and split. Is it nothing more than a desire to make things work? What do you think?
That's a great question. I don't think it is any of the above. We have been happily married with a peaceful and harmonious home for about 9 years. What I would say has made it last, and be peaceful, is that we are committed to glorifying God through our marriage. We both went into marriage knowing it is primarily for the glory of God, NOT for our pleasure, of for finding pleasure in another person.
We were ALSO committed to all that the Bible teaches about marriage, and rested on that for how we lead our lives, not on our preferences and personalities. We simply trust in what God's Word says, and then try to do it. We also trust that God will provide all that we need to have a good marriage, through His Holy Spirit. We know that He is present with us, and in us, and between us. So it's not about how strong or clever either one of us manages to be. We rest on the Rock.
I would naturally warn anyone against getting married simply because you have a powerful feeling toward another person or because you think you enjoy yourself with them. Nor should you get married because of any romantic notions you have about the future. Simply do it for the glory of God, and do your best to follow the plain teachings He gives us. It is an incredible honor to be a witness to Christ and the Church together. It is a picture of the salvation vessel. What more could we ask for?
Both of us are also committed to the lifelong nature of the marriage covenant. We understood before getting married that the need to forgive the other is presumed. We were committed to FORGIVENESS, not to separating what man cannot in fact separate. For most of Christian history the vast majority of marriages lasted for life, and this was in part because people accepted that teaching, and were willing to live with a sinner, just as God is willing to take on the Church, despite her sins and sometimes ill repute, and will never leave Her. If my wife sins against me, she is still my wife, and I will not leave her. Only death separates a marriage. There is great peace in knowing that.
