A 55-hour commitment

So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate.   â€“ Matthew 19:6

The cartoon shows a young man on his knees before a young woman, hands clasped as he says, “Im just asking for a 55-hour commitment.”  The  cartoon pokes fun at the short-lived marriage of actress Britney Spears to Jason Alexander, a high school friend. From saying, “I do” in a Las Vegas Chapel to an annulment, it took the couple just 55 hours.

Britney Spears later told reports that her brief marriage was “just a joke.“ When Spears sobered from a night of carousing, the reality of being married didn’t appear very attractive to her.

Some folks, like Spears, sober up faster than others. But the hard, cold reality is even if it takes some people longer, they ultimately wake up and say, “This is not the person I thought I was marrying!” And then they decide that they want out of the relationship.

Why bother marrying, anyway? God knew that without the commitment of marriage, hearts would eventually stray. He made humankind in such a way that there is emotional, physical, and spiritual bonding in the union of a male and female. Without commitment neither spouse can have their needs fully met.

Commitments that last all of 55 hours just won’t do it. Without an “until-death-shall-separate-us” kind of commitment, there is no hope for marriage. As one older married gentlemen expressed: “We have lived with the constant expectation that tomorrow would be better.” And that attitude can become a self-fulfilling prophecy that makes every day a bit brighter and better.

Used with permission from Guidelines Philippines, Inc. To learn more about Guidelines and the ministry, please write to Box 4000, 1280 Makati City, Philippines or e-mail address [email protected]. You may also visit our website at www.guidelines.org.