Monday, September 21, 2009

What's Your Reputation?

Not personally but in your marriage.

What do people say and think about your view of life together as a married couple? In an article in Newsweek magazine they interviewed adult children of divorced parents and one person said this about his friends parents, "Most of my friends had divorced parents, and the ones that weren't should have been divorced."

What causes marriage to have such a bad rap? We do.

When we succumb to just surviving and putting up with each other we look alot like the world. Everybody is trying to put up with someone but it's usually with people we are not "stuck" with. Too often the reputation of marriage is that it has a great beginning and the rest of it is filled with regret.

It's hard to be excited about the institution of marriage when you see so many high profile people no sooner starting with great fanfare but ending all too quickly with bitterness and disillusionment. Add to that the reality of so many of our friends and relatives coming to the same conclusion.

It's almost contagious!

The world needs to see marriage as one of the most challenging yet rewarding crucibles of life. A place to work out the issues of life for the rest of your life. And particularly a place where the reality of the gospel of Jesus is increasingly visible. A place where the reputation of Jesus is more important than our own.

Isn't that a lot like our Christian lives? Too often we see life more in terms of survival than growth. To hang on with regret rather than to grow with confidence because of Christ. What reputation of the Christian life are we giving as well?

Paul's reputation and identity was that of one who was always striving and struggling. His desire was not to survive but to press on. "I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me." Philippians 3:12.

May God make our marriages places of attraction with a reputation that others will desire for the honor of Christ.

2 comments:

LifeAtTheCircus.com said...

Are you considering publishing a book based on your blog posts? You've got such great stuff here. Thanks for sharing!

Flo said...

There's such a need to cry for God's mercy and grace in our marriages today. In general we are leaving a sad footprint of marriage for the next generation,so I appreciate your blog.