Marriage or divorce: which is more exciting?

Marriage or divorce; which is more exciting? Judging by the amount of media coverage divorce gets, it’s clearly the latter. If divorce and marital strife receives more coverage in our society, (and it does…has anyone seen the press on Jon and Kate?) then what does that teach us all about marriage in our society?

Jon and Kate, Gov. Mark Sanford, LeAnn Rimes and Dean Sheremet. . .  Google any of them, one can find pages upon pages of info on their divorces or current martial woes. However when a couple marries, even they are a high-profile couple; society doesn’t seem to have that insatiable need to find out more about the wedding. The media may run a story and that’s that.

As a society, we are conditioned to believe we shouldn’t get excited about a marriage because it won’t last. Again, judging by the media coverage regarding the latest on who’s cheating on whom, and who’s getting divorced, it is safe to say we have collectively bought into the notion that “diamonds are forever; marriage is not.”

What does God say about marriage? Is it forever, or until two people agree that they have reached the end of the road and want to part ways? In Romans 7:2 God reveals that “By law a woman is bound to her husband as long as he is alive, but if her husband dies, then she is released from the law of marriage.” Notice God did not say that a woman is bound to her husband as long as she feels like it, but as long as he is alive. And, vice versa. (Men, you all are not off the hook!) Obviously, marriage is a covenant that God meant to be forever. Hebrews 13:4 says “marriage should be honored by all.” Notice again that God did not say “marriage should be honored by those who feel it necessary,” but he commanded that we ALL honor it.

That brings me back to the original question. Let’s take the marriage of Jon and Kate of the TV show “Jon and Kate Plus 8”. When it was just them as a family and married couple facing the daily struggles of raising that many kids in a modern society, they weren’t breaking any ratings records for TLC. But, when the media scrutiny started they set rating records. Why? Because people wanted to see their drama. Suddenly, you had new viewers betting on how long before they divorced. Folks loved it!

The modern concept of marriage is ridiculous. Too often society says if it gets hard, inconvenient, boring or routine, then it’s time to leave or worse. Have an affair. Ashley Madison is a Website that offers a dating service that caters exclusively to married people. Their motto is “life is short, have an affair.” True, life is short. But from what I understand, the afterlife is not. And I’m betting God will not cite the Ashley Madison motto as he opens the gates of heaven to all who followed that logic and not his Word.

Marriage is a commitment to love, honor and obey; in sickness and health and, my personal favorite, for better or worse. As a society I wish we could get to the point where marriage is honored and celebrated. Sadly, watching the amount of press Jon and Kate continually get now that they are divorcing, I’m not sure we are even close.