…Until Death Do Us Part

I come from a great heritage of long marriages.  My grandparents have been married for 
63 years, my parents for 42 years, and June and I for over 20 years.  In other words, we 
have over 125 years of experience just in our three families.  Not bad for today's world.

Have all of these years of matrimony been easy?  Hardly.  Have all of these years been 
"heavenly bliss"?  Probably not.  Have all of these years been perfect examples of what 
marriage was intended to be?  Don't make me laugh!  Then what have 125 years of 
"holy matrimony" produced?  Let me share with you a few of my observations:

They have demonstrated God's wisdom in establishing the home.  In Genesis 2:18, we 
read, "The Lord God said, 'It is not good for the man to be alone.  I will make a helper 
suitable for him.'" Loneliness is one of the most painful of all human experiences.  God 
never intended for us to be alone.  After my grandfather died, my grandmother told me, 
"I don't know how I'll ever make it without your granddaddy.  But I guess somehow I will.  
I'm just glad I have had him for this long."  These 125 years of marriage are a testimony 
to God's solution for loneliness.

Secondly, they preach strongly and loudly that marriages can work.  Grandmother told 
me about her and granddaddy.  "We had our fusses, but divorce was never a 
consideration," she said.  I know that sometimes we don't have a say as to what our 
spouse may do, but two persons dedicated to the vow "till death do us part" can prove 
that divorce isn't the easy way out.  A strong marriage is!

Thirdly, they proclaim that the best ingredient for a strong marriage is Jesus Christ.  I 
suspect that all three marriages being Christian marriages probably has something to 
do with their success.  We probably learn more about practical Christianity in marriage 
than in any other relationship.  Marriage is the testing ground for those who would walk 
in the Spirit and bear the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23).  Where else do you need 
as much love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and 
self control than in the marriage relationship?

Over 125 years of living together, laughing together, working together, and crying 
together scream out that saying "I DO!" should stand for something.  I thank God for 
such a heritage and pray that we all will seek to pass down to our children one of the 
most important lessons in life – the power and strength of a Christian home.


Leslie S. Chapman