A recently released poll from the Pew Research Center revealed the following facts about so-called Generation Next. Here are some things that they found in that survey:
- When asked about wanting to someday get married, only 57% of that generation said yes.
- Only 3% looked at a family member as their role model.
- When asked about their primary goal in life, 81% said more than anything they wanted to be rich.
- One in five had no religious affiliation or claimed to be an atheist or an agnostic--this is double what it was in the 1980's! Sociologically speaking, that is a tremendous shift overnight.
However, none of those findings should be too shocking to us. In fact, I think that the neglect of the Boomer Generation (of which, I admit, I am barely a member) towards marriage intentionality has caused succeeding generations to have lower views of marriage, family, moral values and even how our children view God Himself. And it only makes sense. Several Old Testament and New Testament scriptures tell us that parents are responsible for the physical, emotional and spiritual well-being of our children.
The apostle Paul commands children to honor their parents "that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on earth." But as Tony Perkins, President of the Family Research Council in Washington, D.C. says, parents make it difficult for their children to honor them when they themselves don't honor their marriage vows. And who can blame the kids? After all, they're not the adults in this discussion. In most cases, they are just going to carry on the family tradition that they've learned....whatever it is.
But I'm not just talking about the possibilities of divorce and the legacy that it can leave. I'll save that for another post. I'm really referring to still-married couples, even couples that are merely complacent in their current status quo regarding their marriage--which is a fairly large group of folks, I'm convinced. Let me just say that it's so easy for all of us to get distracted from the things that really matter in life. We've all been there. But passivity in marriage is a serious situation. Distractions of life can so quickly lead to emotional neglect.
It's important to be intentional in marriage. It's simply being purposeful about what can and should be the most important human relationship on earth--at least for married couples. So, ask yourself if you are giving your marriage your best attention. If not, what can you do about it? As we have stated here many times: Marriage takes work. Marriage takes prayer. Marriage takes quality and quantity time. Intentional choices. It takes making marriage your top priority.....and trusting and listening to God for direction. Don't miss out on what matters most. A focus on a giving marriage is so very worth the investment. Without a doubt, the dividends pay off for generations to come. The statistics certainly tell us so.
I know that we all struggle sometimes. There is absolutely no shame in that. Moreover, we all do things that disappoint ourselves later. I know that I have. Fortunately, we have this unfathomable gift from heaven called forgiveness. What a concept it is--honestly! Every time you awake to a new day, you have a new opportunity to start over with your decisions for that particular day. It's such a great relief. Therefore, we just want to encourage all married couples, no matter their lot in life, to, from this day forward, do all they can to re-center and re-focus their personal priorities on growing in their faith, serving each other in marriage, and investing their hearts in their families.
Whew....sorry to get on kind of a soapbox on this one. I just get carried away every now and then. Please forgive my ranting. Have a nice day.
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