January 13th, 2008
A Lovely Wedding
Most weddings
are described as "lovely" or "beautiful." A wonderful wedding ceremony is no
accident. It is the result of many hours of careful planning, organization
and attention to detail. That is as it should be.
However, we
have parents who spend hundreds of hours to prepare for their child’s
wedding who have never spent ten minutes preparing that child for marriage.
Perhaps that is why we have "lovely weddings" and terrible marriages. If we
would spend time teaching our children about the duties and privileges of
marriage, we would have fewer broken homes, broken hearts, and emotionally
scarred children. Instead, we invest several months and thousands of dollars
in a thirty minute ceremony which does not produce a marriage that lasts
thirty months. Would it not be better to have hastily arranged ceremonies
than hastily arranged marriages?
Am I arguing
for sloppy weddings? Of course not! They can be pleasant, inspiring, and
encouraging, and that is good, but should we not also give serious thought
to marriage itself?
A good
marriage, like a beautiful wedding, is no accident, either. As there are
certain laws or rules that one must follow to have a productive garden, so
there are principles that must guide the marital relationship (Proverbs
31:10-31; Ephesians 5:22-33; 6:1-4; Colossians 3:18-21; 1 Peter 3:1-12). One
may ignore God’s laws of nature and refuse to tend his garden. When he does
so, he will have a great crop of ugly weeds. So, one may not abide by God’s
formula for the family. When he does so, he will produce frustration,
unhappiness, bitter tears, sorrow, pain and agony. If divine principles do
not rule one’s home, sinful ones will!
— Larry Ray Hafley; biblework.com
