“What God has joined together, let man not separate.” Matthew 19:6
In earlier generations most folks accepted without question the concept of
marriage as a lifetime commitment. My father‐in‐law, James Dobson Sr., was no
exception. This is what he said to his fiancée after she agreed to become his
wife:
I want you to understand and be fully aware of my feelings concerning the
marriage covenant we are about to enter. I have been taught at my mother’s knee,
in harmony with the Word of God, that the marriage vows are inviolable, and by
entering into them I am binding myself absolutely and for life. The idea of
estrangement from you through divorce for any reason at all [although God allows
one—infidelity] will never at any time be permitted to enter into my thinking.
I’m not naive in this. On the contrary, I’m fully aware of the possibility,
unlikely as it now appears, that mutual incompatibility or other unforeseen
circumstances could result in extreme mental suffering. If such becomes the
case, I am resolved for my part to accept it as a consequence of the commitment
I am now making and to bear it, if necessary, to the end of our lives
together.
I have loved you dearly as a sweetheart and will continue to love you as my
wife. But over and above that, I love you with a Christian love that demands
that I never react in any way toward you that would jeopardize our prospects of
entering heaven, which is the supreme objective of both our lives. And I pray
that God Himself will make our affection for one another perfect and
eternal.
James and Myrtle Dobson enjoyed a loving, committed, fulfilling marriage that
began in 1935 and ended with his death in 1977. They never wavered for a moment
through all those years. If you approach your own marriage with this
determination, you’ll establish a stable, rewarding relationship that will last
a lifetime.
- Shirley M Dobson
From Night Light For Couples, by Dr. James
& Shirley Dobson
Copyright © 2000 by James Dobson, Inc. All rights
reserved.
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