For better or for worse

I, (name), take you (name), to be my lawfully wedded (wife/husband), to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish; from this day forward until death do us part. What you have just read is a portion of the traditional wedding vows. Many know of these vows and some have even taken them, however it seems that lately very few couples follow them. Don’t get me wrong, better, richer, and healthy are easy to do. It’s when worse, poor, and sickness enter the picture that people begin to question: “Was it all worth it?”- especially when television stations broadcast the ups and downs of someone’s marriage every Sunday night at 8 p.m. eastern standard time.

Jon and Kate Gosselin of TLC’s hit reality show Jon & Kate plus 8 have announced their decision to divorce after ten years of marriage. The Gosselins are the latest victims of the same snare that ruined the marriage of MTV’s Newlyweds Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey, and destroyed the love of Bobby Brown and Whitney Houston stars of Bravo’s Being Bobby Brown. (Okay, in my opinion the last one was destined for divorce court with or without Bravo, but you see where I am going with this.) Marriages today have been reduced to nothing more than a gimmick to grab ratings or to make political statements. Many celebrities in Hollywood say they will not get married until everyone is legally able to get married, but why make such a sacrifice? Could it be that it is nothing more than a superficial sacrifice for an institution many in Hollywood do not respect?

South Carolina Governor, Mark Sanford’s comment to the associated press showed that it is not only Hollywood that has a lack of respect for marriage. Governor Sanford said to AP that his mistress is his soul mate but he is trying to fall back in love with his wife. Ouch! With every confession of philandering by a president, governor, senator, or congressman I look pass the microphones and wonder what is she thinking? You know who she is - she is the mother of his children; she is the one with whom he struggled to make ends meet, and she made them meet. She is also the one when no one believed in him she was his biggest fan, and she is the one who stands behind him supportively with her face set like a flint as he apologizes to “the people” for his “indiscretions.”

In an apparent murder/suicide former Baltimore Ravens quarterback, Steve McNair, was killed over the July fourth weekend, leaving behind a wife and four children. The accused killer is believed to be his 20-year-old girlfriend Saleh Kazemi. Social web sites are littered with condolences and unbelief, but among the postings of “rest in peace” are sentiments of fore warning for all those that wander away from their vows of matrimony. It is no secret that what is done in secret will come to light, whether in life or in death.

Marriage is more than an excuse to have a celebration, it is more than something to do because you have reached a certain age, and it is definitely more than something to do to feel complete. Marriage is HOLY. The two will become one flesh. So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate.