Valuing Marriage in a Culture That Doesn’t

Marriage is changing.

There are a lot of reasons for that, not the least of which are cultural forces, political maneuverings, and judicial rulings that have systematically redefined marriage in past years.

There’s also been a shift in the average age for first marriages. More and more young people are staying single for far longer than past generations. Some are choosing not to marry at all, in many cases as a reaction to seeing their own parents divorce.

On the other end of the spectrum is what a Wall Street Journalarticle highlighted as the “graying of divorce.” That term describes the fastest-growing segment of divorcees: 50-somethings whose kids have grown up and moved out of the house. “Mom and Dad” revert back to solely “husband and wife,” and they discover they hardly know each other.

There is also a lot of bad advice out there for couples who are having problems. They’re often led to believe that there are only two solutions: to divorce or to stay miserable.

Lamar and Ronnie Tyler suggest there’s a third option: Put your trust in God’s design for a healthy and happy marriage then put in the work to rebuild it.

The Tylers know all about what an effort like that takes.

They’re the co-founders of a ministry called Black and Married with Kids. It’s one of the largest independent African-American marriage and parenting sites on the Internet. They’re passionate about proclaiming the value, the power, and the beauty of a godly marriage.

They’ve had to put in the work to build a strong relationship themselves. When Ronnie told her sister she was marrying  Lamar, her sister’s advice was, “Don’t do it.” That’s not exactly a ringing endorsement. Add to that Ronnie was coming into their marriage with two children.

Now their marriage is a shining example of how a biblical understanding of marriage can help couples build better relationships and thrive through the inevitable hardships along the way. God wants to transform your marriage in the same way.

That’s how you transform the culture – show that as much as marriage may appear to be changing, the core of what makes a relationship healthy, positive, and successful is timeless.

We’re speaking with Lamar and Ronnie Tyler on our Focus on the Family Broadcast “Valuing Marriage in a Culture That Doesn’t.”They’ll explain how to have a successful marriage when you’ve got some things working against you. They’ll also offer advice on blending two families together.

Tune in to the program on your local radio station,online, oniTunes, via Podcast, or on our free phone app, or watch the full interview on our YouTubechannel.

You may also be interested in Lamar and Ronnie’s DVD, Blended: The Unspoken Truth About Stepfamilies. It features interviews with several blended families who will challenge you, encourage you, and give you hope for your family. We’d like to offer it to you for a gift of any amount. Give us a call at 1-800-A-FAMILY (232-6459) or visit our websitefor more information.

And why don’t you take a few moments to try our free marriage assessmentonline tool? It will help you quickly determine what’s working well in your relationship and areas where you may need some improvement.

We also have a full devotional series on infidelity available on the YouVersion Bible app. You’ll find almost 60 individual devotions with topics like Prevention: Protecting Your Marriage Against Infidelity; Crisis: When an Affair Is Discovered; and Recovery: Piecing Your Marriage Back Together.

Before I close, I want to remind you about Hope Restored. If you’re on the brink of divorce, these marriage intensives can go a long way toward restoring your hope, facilitating healing between you and your spouse, and bringing restoration to your relationship. The number for Hope Restored is 1-866-875-2915, or visit online.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: broadcast, marriage, relationships February 4, 2019 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura