Through Thick and Thin - Martin Wiles

This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one. Genesis1:24 NLT

Odds stacked up against them, but they beat them.

Sixty-three years ago, my mother-in-law said yes when my father-in-law proposed. The chances they’d make it were slim. Because of financial constraints, he grew up in a very unstable atmosphere while she came up in a more traditional setting.

Before he reached legal eligibility, my father-in-law’s grandmother signed him into the military. He’d be better provided for there. For the first time, he had adequate food, clothes, and shoes. What he had no choice in initially, he turned into a career—and my mother-in-law had to endure the career with him.

Through the Korean conflict and the Vietnam War, they hung together. My mother-in-law remained faithful when he was gone for long periods of time—and he did too.

When my wife was born, my father-in-law had had enough. She was the first and only girl. Uncle Sam called for another stint in Vietnam. He wasn’t interested—and had enough years to retire, and did.

My in-laws remind me of God’s word about what happens when two people enter the marriage covenant. Adam had animals to hang around with and a beautiful garden to tend, but these things didn’t satisfy. He needed a companion, which God provided in Eve. God performed the first marriage and then stated that Adam and Eve were one.

Divorce wasn’t an option for Adam and Eve. I doubt they even knew the word or would have considered it had they been familiar with it. They enjoyed themselves too much. Marriages that make it through thick and thin have partners who don’t consider divorce an option when things get rough—because they will at some point.

Unfortunately, some don’t have a choice in divorce. Their partner makes the choice to leave and end the marriage. As hard as they try, they can’t make them stay. But I fear too many enter marriages with an “If it doesn’t work out, we can always get a divorce” mentality rather than not even considering divorce as an option to begin with. 

An “until death do we part” approach keeps a marriage together through thick and thin. Attitude is essential—along with a whole lot of love, patience, kindness, and selflessness. Divorce is a choice, but so is love. And with God’s help, couples can choose to love each other . . . regardless.

Make up your mind not to consider divorce an option for your marriage.

Tweetable: Are you keeping your marriage together?

Prayer: Father, thank You for giving us partners to spend our lives with. Bind our marriages together as tightly as our relationship with You is bound. 

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