Enduring Marriage By Pete BriscoeSample

### Really, Until Death? Their plan had been very simple. To stay together for the rest of their lives. —Cecelia Ahern, P.S. I Love You The day I married my wife, I made some remarkable promises. She became my lawful wedded wife from that day forward, for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and health, to love and cherish, till death do us part. Yes, I actually promised to love her until one of us dies. Since then, I’ve realized that marriage is beautiful and challenging—sometimes maddening. It’s glorious, sweet, hard, comforting, irritating, frustrating, and exhilarating. Yet behind all these ongoing fluctuations of circumstance and emotions, the promises stand. My plan when I married her was to stay married—and that plan is still going strong. Still… was “till death do us part” really necessary? Not only was it necessary, but I believe God designed it that way for a reason. See, God knows that true love is experienced in the context of an enduring relationship. In fact, this is the type of relationship He offers us. From Deuteronomy to Hebrews, God tells His people, “I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Joshua 1:5). Not only does He invite us into an enduring relationship with Him, but He also extends opportunities for us to experience this type of relationship with one another. Answer me this: How many deep relationships do you have that have lasted more than half your life? Not many. When God came up with the idea of marriage—and I do believe marriage is God’s idea—He did so because He knows true love is experienced in the context of an enduring relationship. So He put in a no-out clause—“till death do us part”—so we’d stay together. God’s idea. God’s way. In fact, I believe God’s ideas are always best when they are experienced in God’s way. Lord, thank You for loving without leaving. If I haven’t before, I choose to see marriage as a way to learn the language of Your love, as I experience it myself through a relationship intended to last for all my days on earth. Amen.