Marriage comes in threes...

MARRIAGE STATISTICS
Over the last several decades, marriage in our nation has declined, while cohabitation, divorce and unmarried childbearing have increased
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In the early 1980s, the United States witnessed the highest number of divorces ever granted: over one million. This led to an almost predictable domino effect with some of the children of divorce. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, the United States experienced the highest rates of teen sexual activity, teen pregnancy, births to teenage mothers, and out of wedlock births in our nation’s history.

Today’s new generation is still experiencing the trickle-down effect by being part of the nation’s highest-ever numbers of children born out of wedlock, and numbers of children raised by single fathers and mothers, unmarried parents and grandparents. Meanwhile, the marriage rate in the United States flirts with an all-time low.


FIVE IMPORTANT FACTS1. Over the last several decades, marriage in our nation has declined, while cohabitation, divorce and unmarried childbearing have increased.
From 1970 to 1996, the marriage rate in the United States fell by a third, from 77 to 50 marriages per 1,000 unmarried women.

2. From 1960 to 1998, the number of unmarried, cohabiting couples increased nearly tenfold, from 439,000 to 4.2 million.

3. Divorce rates also increased from 9 to 23 per married couples from 1960 to 1980, before declining slightly and remaining steady at 20 per 1,000 through 1998.

4. Births to unmarried women increased from 11 to 33 percent of all births from 1970 to 1994 then leveled off through 1999.

5. Nationally, 1.3 million children are born out-of-wedlock each year.6
(The data is for the year 2000 unless otherwise noted.)

The problem is that the foundation of the marriage institution has eroded over the last forty years. The solution is, making marriage important to this country again. Let’s look at the idea of strong marriages today. They say “bad things come in threes” but sometimes good things come in threes also.


WHY DO WE NEED STRONG MARRIAGES?

1. Because it is biblical.
2. Because families are examples to the world around them.
3. Because the divorce rate in higher in the church than in the world.

WHAT IS A STRONG MARRIAGE?

1. One man married to one woman.
2. One man married to one woman living under God’s covenant.
3. One man married to one woman living under Gods covenant for the rest of their lives.

HOW DO WE KEEP OUR MARRIAGES STRONG?

1. Stay in communication.
2. Stay in the word, prayer and church.
3. Stay out of debt.

WHO SHOULD GET MARRIED?

1. Those who are equally yoked.
2. Those who are willing to be accountable.
3. Those with the same core values.





WHEN SHOULD A MARRIAGE CALL IT QUITS?

1. Never if possible!
2. Marital infidelity (even this can be reconciled).
3. Possibly never!

As you ponder these simple truths today my prayer is that you will begin to consider the strength of your marriage. Is your marriage strong and able to stand up against the storms of life in the upcoming year?

Do you and your spouse communicate about your marriage, family and your future? Do you show affection to one another around your family members and the people in your church? Believe it or not your inactivity speaks loud and clear to others?

Are you careful about spending habits? Do you have a plan to get out of debt? These and many other questions must be answered if we are going to have strong marriages in America again.





__Written by Randy Burton