The Perfect Couple

I have to admit I’ve been discouraged lately about the institution of marriage. So many of my friends and acquaintances have had to experience divorce in their lives and the toll it takes on the people it touches can be almost as devastating as a death. Then there are those who have worn the mask of relationship so long that they don’t know how to be a spouse or a friend. Dishonesty has crept into their world surrounding them and those who care about them. There are the couples who only know how to be angry, hold grudges, and run their partners down. There are those who are so lonely for friendship and affection that they smother their marriage by looking for it there. Others can’t see anything but the perfection of themselves and the imperfections of the other. And there are others who just keep on truckin’ because they don’t expect that they or their spouse could be anything greater for the other. They settle for less than the joy of friendship and intimacy they could have with their loved one. What a huge downer to think that my friends and those I meet on the street might live their lives in this realm of mediocrity.
Where are all the perfect couples? Ah-Hah! As if there is a perfect couple!!! We are all dysfunctional in some way and anyone who tells you differently is probably the worst of all (in my very humble opinion). There is a reason God wrote the fruits of the Spirit down for us. We need all of them to make it through marriage and family and friendships. It is inspiring to watch those fruits work each time I get together with my families (both sides). I see two things above all in each marriage foundation… Love and Commitment. It takes both to make a marriage last. It takes them combined with the Lord and His fruits to make it amazing. Each couple has a different rhythm that works for them. What’s more amazing is how our children feel all of these different cadences and it gives them the opportunity to find what fits them for the future.
I am so thankful that in this world of half-assed, least-effort-required relationships I have family that exemplifies the old adage, “anything worth having is worth working for.” I hope I will always try to show my Sweetie he’s worth working my butt off for. Just remember that, like everyone else, I am somewhat dysfunctional. Okay, a LOT dysfunctional. Geez! Thanks, families, for living this out in your lives.