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Stand for Marriage |
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It is hard to believe that the distinctive of marriage as the life-long, union of one man and one woman to the exclusion of all others is on the threshold of being redefined in Canada (and facing similar struggles in the United States). How can this be? What are our nation, our churches, and our homes coming to? Clearly from a biblical and Wesleyan point of view, changing a definition does not change the true meaning and purpose of marriage. However the government chooses to word its definition, God’s truth and Word overrule its existence. Marriage has such a historical and universal connection to life and cultures that changing it seems arrogant. We must do everything we can to stand for marriage God’s way. We can bemoan the present condition and throw our hands in the air in disgust. Or we rise to the occasion and commit more than ever to promote, preserve and protect marriage as God has designed it. If we give in to apathy or helplessness we have lost the battle. Despite how our efforts seem to be in vain, we must not wave the white flag. It is time again to get out of our chair and stand for marriage. Start by building your own marriage. Make a new commitment to creating a life-long, meaningful marriage. Don’t settle for anything less than the marriage you have always wanted. Work at it, cultivate, nurture, invest, and own it. Ask not what your spouse can do for you but what you can do for your spouse. Make your marriage and the marriages in your influence a matter of regular prayer. Ask God to strengthen couples and empower them by the working of his grace. Pray for strongholds to be broken and new territory to be taken for marriages that are stuck or deteriorating. All the available information and resources for marriage are helpful. Do not rely solely on man’s ideas however – stay tuned in to the power source for ultimate life change and marital stability. Let your voice be heard. Plug into a local action group for a visible statement of support. Influence people around you to stand and be heard. Check out www.sanctityofmarriage.ca for clear steps of getting involved. Get into the game. Others may be involved but don’t delay thinking “they” will speak for you. We all know the “they” are the illusive nobodies somebody else refers to when a smoke job is going on. Let us be participants, players on the field, fellow team members ready to take a stand and hold our position with honor. Write letters; speak to your elected government officials to discover their position and ask them to factor in your views. Step outside of the norm and jump in the game. Pray for the homosexual and same-sex couples that are so energetic about this cause. Much of the motivation is about equality and dignity and yet the deeper issues flow from feelings of rejection, lack of attachment, poor relationships during formative years and sexual identity issues. Let us not forget every person longs for love and acceptance and it is easy for the homosexual community to feel condemned when we stand for truth. Therefore, we must seek to love, reach out to and care for those who may be disillusioned with the truth we share.
The real issue here is the generations to come. We may be able to handle the
redefinitions and interpretations but our children’s children will have to sort
out the bleaching of truth and culture in ways that we may not be able to
forecast. The distinctive we now cherish may simply be another option in a
pluralistic society in the years to come. May God help us do what we can to
preserve the sanctity of marriage for future marriages! |
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