by Christina A. Armani

Created on: February 25, 2007   Last Updated: May 11, 2007

America has a big marriage problem. The divorce rate is around 60%, which is worse than most other countries. However, it's not worse than a lot of other countries, and divorces are becoming more common all over the world. It's hard to talk to someone these days who hasn't gone through a divorce. Although people are more accepting of divorce in this day of age, that's no excess for such a high percentage of divorces. Although divorce isn't cheap, many couples can't commit to their vows to stay together until death bids them part. There seems to be two main problems when it comes to being unable to honor a marriage....

1) People are rushing into marriage
Lots of marriages happen too fast and before the couple knows enough about each other. Many couples jump into marriage without knowing what they're getting into. This mainly happens because of the social stigma attached to not being married. This causes both males and females to get married too quickly. Men and women are pressured into getting married, and are tempted to make decisions that aren't the right for them. If you get married before you're ready, there's no way you can make the marriage last. If you rush into marriage, you deny yourself the chances of getting out and realizing that you made a mistake before it's too late. A lot of times people don't take marriage seriously or think about things long enough before making a decision. Different things work for different couples, but a lot of couples don't wait as long as they should. Marriage is no joke, and no one should get married just to get family or friends off their backs, or because they're too eager to get married, because they want financial benefits, or because they want to tie someone down.

2) People aren't trying hard enough to save their marriages
Many marriages end because the couple didn't try hard enough to save it. Sometimes, divorce is inevitable, but sometimes a married couple only needs to spend some time apart. When a spouse divorces to leave an abusive marriage, that's a wonderful thing. However, most marriages end because of financial problems, religious differences, or infidelities. As for the first one, God says don't be greedy. If you don't buy what you don't need, you shouldn't be worrying about money. God also tells us that material possessions won't mean a thing on judgment day. We all know that adultery is a big sin, and that coveting someone that's not your spouse is against the Bible. However, many people still deceive their partners into believing that they can be faithful. Don't lie to your partner or lead them on, if you know you can't be faithful don't waste your time or theirs. God also commands us to be equally yoked with your spouse, and to help each other to grow in your faith. While some religious differences can be resolved, know where you stand and know where your partner stands on religious issues. If you two are standing in very different places, don't get married to them.

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