Parents are the primary spiritual influencers–for good or for bad–in the lives of their kids. Media, peers and schools have significant influence, but parents are the pinnacle. They can control what media comes into the house, what school (if you’re willing) your kid attends and who they hang out with outside of your presence. The parent’s job gets a lot harder when trying to do it alone, so taking time to improve your marriage actually helps your kids.
The Barna Group released some new statistics for marriage and divorce in America today. Some of the interesting highlights:
- 78% of adults have been married at least once.
- 84% of born-again Christians married at least once.
- 74% of non-Christian faiths
- 65% of atheists/agnostics
- 33% of all adults who have been married have had a divorce.
- 25% of all Americans, married or not, have been through a divorce.
What are you doing to keep your marriage strong so you don’t become one of the 33%?
I’m hearing great things about the “Marriage on the Rock” materials being used in the Sunday morning Adult Growth class that just started yesterday. Pastor Chuck is teaching and it’s good stuff–come and check it out! Sue Steege
Having come from one of those divorce families – I am SO thankful to have the Word of God as my only really model for a successful marriage. Almost 15 years and going strong! Thanks and praise all goes to God alone!
I try not to talk bad about my spouse – both when I’m around her and when I’m not (as in, at work). Of course, it’s hard to talk bad about my wife, ’cause she’s pretty awesome! 8) But I go so many places and I hear people talking down to and about their spouses. For example, the married women I work with at my day job are constantly chatting about the “stupidity” of their husbands as well as talking down to them (like they’re little boys) on the phone. I’m sure that this kind of talk goes from husband to wife all the time too.
Scripture says to “…take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5) One way to take a thought captive is to NOT let it leave through our mouth! I find that if someone annoys me and I speak that annoyance, then it poisons my mind toward that person. By holding the thoughts captive and chosing not to speak bad about my wife, I’m better able to appreciate the things I love about her and work around any (relatively minor) personality clashes.
Great points Eric!
P.S. – thanks, Sue S, for the eight-perenthesis shortcut! 8)