We live in a world of self gratification and always thinking that we should feel good because society tells us this is how life should be. This type of thinking is dangerous and damaging, yet our world accepts it and agrees with it. Why do I think this? Why am I feeling the need to bring it up? Because it’s scary and disheartening being immersed in a society that feels entitlement and that constant indulgence, constant rewards, and constant happiness should always be within reach.
It’s scary being in an environment where the latest gossip is who slept with who, and who is leaving their spouse for someone else. It’s scary that rather than praying for these people and realizing the sadness in that situation, it’s commonplace and acceptable.
Our world says, you don’t feel “happy” or "satisfied" in your marriage, it’s okay to develop feelings for someone else. You feel as though your marriage isn’t giving you everything you need, find a different partner who is more sympathetic and will GIVE YOU what YOU want. There’s no reason to work through problems with your spouse, with whom you made a commitment to be faithful and love in good times AND in bad Our society says, "Don’t turn to GOD to help you through these difficult times, just cheat on your spouse with someone else and you’ll find the happiness and gratification you want."
It’s scary that our society devalues true love in a marriage because it takes effort and commitment from both partners to keep the relationship going. But more importantly, that God is supposed to be involved in your marriage, and people seem to forget that, or ignore it from the get go. Because after all, "Marriage is just a piece of paper," right?
This, I feel, is linked to our society's devaluing of life in general. Because the marriage is another type of life gift. You're given this partner, this person, and you become one body, one life! I am so blessed to have the husband I have. I look at others who are throwing their marriages away after a year, 5 years, 15 years, 20 years, because they are not feeling the "magic" any more, or the "in love" feelings they used to. They hurt not only themselves in doing so, but they hurt their partner and any children they may have had.
I hope that my husband and I can be good enough examples for our children in the precious gift that is marriage and how important it is to choose a good partner who feels the same about marriage. I hope that someday our society will wake up and realize that divorce is not an easy out to have in your back pocket when things don't go just as you hoped. I hope that our society begins to value marriage again and the life that God gives us in it. Marriage is not just something you do so you can have a special day, it's a vocation that we should feel blessed to be in.
I pray for those affected by poor choices and decisions to seek out gratification outside of their union. I pray for the people who make mistakes and realize that this choice was wrong and that these marriages can work through any of these scenarios. I pray for marriage, and that it is seen for the true sacrament for which it is.
