How Important is Your Marriage?

June is wedding month. According to a study done by Pew Research, The Wedding Report and the US Census Bureau, the average wedding now costs $27,000.

Most of us enjoy attending a beautiful marriage celebration, but have you ever wondered if that young couple who look so happy walking down the aisle intend to invest as much in their marriage as they did in their beautiful wedding?

Unfortunately, from the emails we receive, many do not. We aren’t unsympathetic. We know how difficult marriage can be…and how stressful life becomes once the “I do’s” are said and the honeymoon is over.

Anything of value needs upkeep. A baby grand piano needs tuning if we want Beethoven's Sonata No. 14 to enrapture us. A BMW needs an oil change if we wish to purr along Highway 101 on the coast of California, enjoying the winding journey among rolling green hills and the turquoise ocean. And a healthy 50-year-old needs a medical checkup if he intends to pursue life, liberty and happiness.

The greater the value of something or someone, the greater the willingness to invest.

How important is your marriage?

Did you know your marriage, in the eyes of God, is the longest lasting institution to which you belong, apart from the church, the body of Christ? Contrast that with the educational institution you attended for a limited number of years and all the money you put into that education to get a degree. Yet statistics now show that at the average cost of $27,000, many weddings cost more than a college degree!

We all know a good college education doesn’t guarantee a good job just as a beautiful wedding doesn’t guarantee a good marriage. Yet we invest our money in both because we value the future job and the future marriage.

But does the investment stop there? Those who have good marriages would say, "Absolutely not!" They keep investing hours, energy and finances in their marriages…long past the wedding.

Sarah and I started Love and Respect Ministries because we care about investing in marriage. Our desire is to equip you with helpful tools through our resources and conferences, to make your marriage last a lifetime.

How are you investing in your marriage?

~Emerson