The Definition of Marriage

Recently I received an e-mail question about my position on the definition of marriage. It is sad that the question even needs to be asked. My Webster's unabridged dictionary defines it as "the state of being united to a person of the opposite sex as husband or wife." That pretty much sums it up in my mind: one man--one woman, united.

I wonder if this attempt to redefine marriage is due in part to the devaluing of marriage that we have witnessed in our culture. Truthfully we must work at marriage. We all tend to be selfish and self-centered. Success in marriage requires us to not be so self-absorbed. Carol and I have made a commitment to work on our marriage. Beginning in 1994 we started attending Fall Festival of Marriage conferences (now called Festival of Marriage) put on by the Southern Baptist Convention. These are held in numerous locations around the country. Check out the website:

http://www.lifeway.com/ev/events_detail_mainpage/0%2C2232%2CE%25253D96%252526M%25253D200975%2C00.html

This year over the weekend of April 11-13 we will be involved in supporting a Marriage Enrichment weekend put on by Grace Community Church in Roswell.

We also have read some great books on marriage relationships including His Needs Her Needs, The Five Love Languages, and Love and Respect. I recommend all three of these books, and suggest reading them together with your spouse.

As a society we need to value marriage. We need to hold it in high regard. Healthy marriages produce healthy families which produce healthy children who turn into well-balanced successful adults.

Having written this, you probably assume I am a skilled husband. That, however, is not the case. Recently I had fallen into a pattern of selfishness. It brought home the fact that just because one has "head knowledge" does not mean one understands the concept or engages in that behavior. We all need "refreshers" training--me included!