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In today's culture, marriage is considered a "love it or leave it" status; when the love runs out, we can leave. A 2002 report from the U.S. Census Bureau stated that "The National Center for Health Statistics recently released a report which found that 43 percent of first marriages end in separation or divorce within 15 years." Loyalty is a profound, yet absent concept in the twenty-first century, as couples are now tip-toeing around each other with the attitude of "don't blow it, buster" secreting out to one another. The sure-fire fix for such a sentiment has become the test-drive prelude to marriage. Drive around the potential spouse, and make sure he/she runs well before buying. This "move-in before marriage motto" is gaining much popularity and fan-fare in today's society, but such a contractual motto stems from the wrong idea of marriage. Marriage is a lifelong commitment, not a contract. When a man and woman decide to marry, their decision should be taken seriously by all parties involved; no test-drive is needed, for marriage is a covenant that says, "I will love you even when you have a flat-tire, need an oil change, or completely stop running." Why such loyalty? Marriage is based upon an unconditional love, established first by a God who shows the same love toward us oftentimes wretches.

In a sociological view, many studies suggest that living together before marriage is a bad idea. Despite what society is screaming at couples concerning the benefits of cohabitation, a published Columbia University study found that a mere 26 percent of women and 19 percent of men surveyed eventually married their cohabitant. On average, a person who decides to live together before the "I do's" will never reach the altar, and eventually will move onto new partners. Furthermore, those who do end up tying the knot after living together tend to have a greater divorce rate than those who did not previously cohabitate; The National Survey of Families and Households released that "unions begun by cohabitation are almost twice as likely to dissolve within 10 years compared to all first marriages: 57% to 30%." If living together before marriage is an adequate test drive, than where is the error in these above-mentioned reports? Cohabitants should seemingly be almost divorce-free. Dr. William Harley, writer of the best-selling book, "His Needs, Her Needs: Building an Affair-Proof Marriage," explicitly explains that:

"[Marriage] is an agreement that you will take care of each

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