The Importance of Marriage to the Family

Earlier in the week, my parents celebrated their 36^th wedding anniversary. Even more impressive, my grandparents celebrated 65 years of marriage last month. I am extremely fortunate to have parents who have remained committed to one another and value the sanctity of marriage. I realize numbers like these aren’t common anymore. Sadly, more and more marriages are ending up in divorce. Or, the marriages don’t even happen in the first place. The number of families with both a mother and father in the home continues to plummet.

While I am lucky to have grown up in a home with parents who are still committed to one another, it is also something to be expected. I was raised to believe that a marriage is meant to be a life-long relationship. “I do” and “until death do us part” are not just words to be said; they are a promise. Getting married is not something that is done temporarily or just for the short term. Marriage does not come with a return policy. You cannot just try it out and then give it back if you don’t like it. It may sound cliché, but when two people are married, they become one.

You can call me old-fashioned, conservative, close-minded, or whatever insult you prefer to hurl my way, but marriage in my book is between one man and one woman. I realize that may not be a popular idea anymore, but I could care less if other people disagree. I stand behind the belief that God created marriage that way, and that is how it should remain. More and more, we are moving away from that concept. Marriage has lost the respect and importance it once held. People are willing to compromise its ideals and values.

Why is marriage such a big deal? A solid marriage is the foundation for a family. I’m not saying that a child cannot be raised by a single parent, but it has been proven time and time again the benefits of having both parents in the home. Children need role-models in their lives. Not just any role-models, but they need positive ones. Having a mother and father in the home can provide children with a male and female role model. Children need both parents because each parent provides a unique role to the child. There are certain qualities that a mother possesses that cannot be offered by the father and vice versa. The deterioration of marriage and the utter destruction of the traditional family have ultimately led to major downfalls in the United States and possibly worldwide.