Defending Marriage

Let me preface this post by saying this will be a tough one, and if I offend anyone I'm sorry. Unlike the topic in the previous post, I take this very seriously. I also request that you read the entire post before jumping to any conclusions. Finally, any criticims I make on this blog include myself and then some. If I ever come out as the hero in any stories or illustrations, it's purely unintentional. I'm often the anti-hero at best.

The linchpin of the culture wars seems to be supporting legislation that reflects our religious beliefs. The government is called upon to "define marriage."

I do find it funny that while the wording of said proposition could be seen as an attack on religions that practice polygamy, that's not where the brunt of ungodly aggression goes. And yes, there's ungodly aggression on both sides of the issue, which show anger, fear and hate towards each other. Not exactly the fruits of the spirit.

Now that I said that, I want to move on. My point isn't about politics, or demanding laws reflect a Christian standard. I want to dismiss that right away and cut to the heart of the matter. The responsibility for defending marriage as God intended it falls on married couples who follow Christ. I'll personalize it: as far as I'm concerned, it falls on Beka and me. We have a responsibility to show what God intended marriage to look like. If only He wanted us to protest gay marriage instead, because as anyone who's been married knows, carrying a cardboard sign around would be easier. But one thing the Christian life doesn't display is convenience.

Marriage is hard work. Probably goes without saying, but you never know. Back when Beka and I were dating, we had cutesy arguments and couldn't talk about problems for too long before making some kind of joke. We never yelled. I was convinced we would be the coolest couple ever.
One recent evening we sat down on our bed after a good lungbuster of a disagreement. For those of you who are stateside, maybe you heard us. Anyway, we did enjoy a good laugh after we ironed out the communication difficulties and I recalled our dating years. "We were dirty stinking liers!"

Also worth mentioning: the vocal stylings of note followed a group for married couples. We were watching Love and Respect, a series I recommend. It did, however, bring up some unique issues for us, and to be honest, guys can be the most defensive and insecure creatures on the planet. I probably could of handled the discussion with my wife better, but that's part of the "hard work" deal.

Between then and the next group our communication improved at least somewhat. During the discussion after our video, one of the couples brought up God's intention of marriage--to reflect His character. That's a tall order, and I hope we're taking steps towards it.

A reoccuring theme when I think of Christlikeness is salt and light. Are we (my wife and I) striving together to preserve our own integrity and show what a Christlike marriage should look like? That would do more for His glory than any proposition ever could.