A Marriage Legacy

In our small group this week, we discussed the issue of marriage and divorce.  To put the conversation in context, our leader asked each of us to describe our parents' marriages and the types of homes we grew up in.  Nothing about this request seemed that unusual to me until I started hearing all the other responses.  Out of a room of 16 church members, Dear Husband and I were the only married couple to have both come from a home where neither of our parents is or has ever been divorced.  Not only that, but we both come from families where none of our grandparents or aunts and uncles have ever been divorced.  Plus, neither of us ever even contemplated that our parents might ever get divorced.  We were both surprised to hear that this is not the norm family situation--even among church people.

Needless to say, our group discussion was actually different from what I expected this week.  We essentially discussed Sunday's sermon on the topic of Marriage, Divorce, and Re-Marriage (To hear this week's insightful sermon on marriage, please go here: Marriage, Divorce, and Re-Marriage), and I clearly took away a different application than many in my small group had taken.  I was encouraged by the emphasis that God's Word has on how good marriage is for people.  And I was surprised by our pastor's endorsement for young marriage.
 
All through law school, I heard people talk about how surprised they were that I was married (I started law school at the age of 24 and graduated when I was 28).  Everyone seemed to think that my marriage was doomed for failure because I had been such a young bride at the age of 22. Besides, it is common knowledge that few marriages survive law school--especially when both spouses are in two different schools in two different cities at the same time.  To many of my peers, my marriage was an anomaly.

That said, I've never really worried that I was married too young.  Since my mom was married when she was 20 and my mother-in-law was married at 18, I have had really great examples of how young love works.  It honestly never even crossed my mind that getting married at the age of 22 was risky.  Probably because it wasn't.  I am married to a Christian man who, like me, is committed to a life-long marriage.  For us, this is what marriage is supposed to be--this being reinforced by the examples of our families' marriages.

So while the rest of our small group has committed to starting legacies in their families for healthy marriages, Dear Husband and I have committed to continuing the legacy that has been passed down to us.  Thank you to all of our family members who have demonstrated to us what marriage is supposed to look like.  To come from families who have lived out God's design for marriage is truly a blessing.  Plus, it has made our marriage stronger.