The Many Merits of Marriage ...

Of the following two scenarios, which one sounds like more fun?

Scenario #1: You are a single guy sitting alone in a restaurant, poking your fork at your spinach-stuffed chicken and wishing you had ordered something else, when you notice that the diner sitting next to you is enjoying a platter of barbecued ribs. So you deftly switch plates and dig in. The outraged diner wrestles you for the plate and then phones the authorities, who book you into the county jail for misdemeanor possession of honey-glazed pork. You are locked inside cramped quarters with another prisoner, also a single guy, who was arrested for misappropriating and ingesting someone else’s bowl of chili. The hapless thief is moaning on his bunk and clutching his abdomen, which is the international signal for “I need some Tums.” Tragically, you left your antacid in the car, and the shock waves from your cell mate’s lively abdominal rumblings are rattling the bars of your cell. You had better nights in boot camp.

Scenario #2: You are dining out with your spouse, and you each order different entrees so you can enjoy your charming habit of sharing each other’s meals. After a lovely evening that does not involve mug shots or cramped accommodations in the county jail, you head home to engage in an evening of passion. Afterward, you drift off to sleep with the sweet knowledge that Congress recently increased the tax break for married couples.

Clearly, marriage has substantial benefits over singleness. But the advantages of matrimony don’t stop at shared meals, tax breaks and delightful bouts of romantic fellowship. There are oodles of good things about marriage.

A NOTE OF CAUTION: I need to explain that when I use the term “marriage” I intend its traditional meaning — a heterosexual relationship commenced after a man and woman have repeated wedding vows in front of God, a pastor and a bunch of friends, relatives, bridesmaids, groomsmen, a photographer and a cute little ring bearer. I wish I didn’t have to explain it, but I live in California, where the state legislature recently passed a bill redefining marriage to include same-sex couples. The implications for society are huge. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed the bill, but it was still a close call.

And while I am not a marriage expert, I want to do my part to make the case for traditional marriage. My main credential is that I have been married to my beloved bride, Dale, for nearly a quarter of a century. Among other things, we have that deep sense of joy that comes from the knowledge that we are actively cooperating with the plan of God. He is the one who thought up the idea of marriage. He is the one who invented the concept of family. We sense His pleasure as we live out our marriage.

I don’t mean to even hint that I am criticizing those who are single, either by choice or by circumstances beyond their control. Indeed, the Apostle Paul explicitly endorsed the choice of singleness for those who want to have even more time and energy to devote to kingdom work. But for most of us, marriage is the God-ordained plan to really teach us how to love, to sacrifice and to become unselfish. Marriage is how God intends to create kids. And without more kids, the planet would plunge into demographic doom, and eventually the entire population of the United States could live in downtown Akron. While this would really cut down on traffic jams, you could pretty much kiss off any future Social Security benefits.

So take delight in your marriage. Keep doing all those things you did when you were young and in love, so that you will one day be old and in love.

Ultimately, your love and your marriage are kingdom work.