5/24/13- Love and Marriage

Place me like a seal over your heart,
    like a seal on your arm;
for love is as strong as death,
    its jealousy unyielding as the grave.
It burns like blazing fire,
    like a mighty flame.
7 Many waters cannot quench love;
    rivers cannot sweep it away.
If one were to give
    all the wealth of one’s house for love,
    it would be utterly scorned. (Song of Songs 8:7,8)

Thoughts: The old song goes, "Love and marriage, love and marriage, go together like a horse and carriage."  For some, love and marriage were meant for the horse and buggy days.   But marriage is the commitment and willful part of love- and it is a human experience that began in creation and will outlast any generation.  Some try to delay it as if being ten years older will make us wise enough to know what we are doing.  The U.S. Census Bureau says that in 1986 47% of those 25-29 were married and today that has shrunk to 27%.  Previously we have elevated our careers over having children, and now we are elevating getting established in our careers over marriage.  So we are having children much later and are finding that it is more difficult to have children later, it is more difficult to have healthy children when we have them later.  One of the sad statistics is that despite all of our technology and advances in medicine the United States leads the industrialized world (50% more than the rest combined) in first day infant mortality.  It is a mix complex of unmarried teen births and marriages occurring later thus having children later in life.  The rate of children being born with disabilities (despite the largest abortion rate in the western world and the largest amniocentesis rate) has also skyrocketed.  Getting married later and having children later has a huge effect on this as well. 
    I write all this with a heavy heart.  One of the greatest blessings in life is human love.  The Song of Songs reminds us that love is as strong as death.  Just as many believe there is a God but miss out on loving Him, many believe in marriage but miss out on love.  Love is risky.  It takes work.  It takes forgiveness and patience.  But it is well worth all the effort poured into it.  
    Thirty three years ago today I married a girl right out of college.  We had three wonderful children together.  We have had huge ups and downs in our lives.  Many waters cannot quench love.  Rivers cannot wash it away.  But staying with her has been the greatest blessing to me.  I wish others could believe in God's love and human love- taking the risk.  Not everyone is meant to be married or have children.  But it is not wrong- nor am I embarrassed to say human love is a great blessing.  

Prayer: Lord, place my love as a seal over my heart.  Let me not place wealth and work above true love today.  

(our first day at our first apartment)