On Nov. 17, at a gathering of international religious leaders, Pope Francis had this to say, “In our day, marriage and the family are in crisis. We now live in a culture of the temporary, in which more and more people are simply giving up on marriage as a public commitment.” He later added, “It is important that the young people do not give themselves over to the poisonous mentality of the temporary, but rather be revolutionaries with the courage to seek true and lasting love, going against the common pattern: this must be done.”
While there may be points on which I would strongly disagree with Pope Francis, I share his sentiments on this subject completely. After all, this is what Jesus affirms in Matthew 19:6 as He speaks about marriage saying, “So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.” (ESV) Marriage is meant to last “until death us do part.”
Without a commitment to persevere in marriage, it will NOT last. There will ALWAYS be strong temptations to give up, run away, seek something better, retreat to childhood … listen to Satan. And, by giving in to such tempting lies, couples miss out on the tremendous blessings of God’s way for marriage. It’s in the commitment to life-long marriage that a couple experiences the peace of security, the stability of consistency, the hope of good days in the midst of the bad, freedom from the fear of isolation, and the joy of unconditional love.
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Don’t let the lies of Satan and this world lure you into the empty promises of the temporary. Live in the blessedness of commitment. Then, filled to overflowing with those blessings, make them known to a younger generation that truly is desperate for something that WILL last!
Amen!