Marriage: Commitment Optional

I'm not exactly into all the "celebrity watching" that goes on in our world. I have kind of a vague idea of what is going on in the world of $1000 purses, 10 inch heels, and relationships that melt faster than Italian ice in the Sahara, but I'll take an article about rapidly-changing European immigration laws than one on Paris Hilton's favorite shade of lipstick any day. But today was a somewhat slow day in the office and I did some article surfing. I stumbled upon an interview with the Angelina half of "Brangelina". Most of it centered on those useless bits of info like whether or not she is expecting again or what she really thinks of Brad's beard. But one quote caught my eye and got me thinking. When asked whether or not she planned on ever actually marrying Brad, she replied "[We're not] against getting married [but] it's just like we already are. Children are clearly a commitment, a bigger commitment [than marriage]. It's for life."

In and of itself, Angelina's comment is true. Children are a HUGE commitment and cannot be dumped when we tire of them. But isn't this also true about marriage? Unfortunately, our culture doesn't think so. In today's society, we go into marriage thinking "I sure do love this person, but if it ever gets to where I can't handle it, I can always get out". But marriage is just as big a commitment as anything else in this life. Our very vows proclaim that we will forsake all others until death parts us.

I also have to wonder if as a parent, you can truly commit your very life to your children if you can't even do that to their mother/father. As Christians, we must realize that our commitment to another person in marriage is something that only death can release us from. We should never be like the world and see marriage as an airplane, with emergency exits in the front, side, and rear. Instead, it is another part of Christian walk, a portion of the race that we must run in faithfulness, humbleness, and selflessness.

It is so important that children see true commitment reflected in the lives of their parents, both to each other and to Christ. And, perhaps more importantly, true commitment in marriage is a beautiful symbol of Christ and his church to a lost and dying world.