Happy Valentine's Day... kind of.

Our championship game for team handball was today. It was an exciting game... always more exciting when you win. ;) It was a lot of fun. Afterwards, we went over to Grandma & Grandpa's and went out to eat with them. There were a whole lot of couples coming in and out of the restaurant throughout our time there and I couldn't help but notice the brokenness. Sitting right across from us was a couple in their 40's, obviously unmarried... the guy trying to do everything to make the lady happy and she trying to make him like her. I'm not saying that we ought to try to figure out everything about anyone in 45 mins of observing them, but it was saddening to me. Most likely, those two represent two families that have been torn apart. Just to the left of them there were two ladies about the same age. We all know that on Valentine’s Day, the husband takes out the wife on a Valentines date. I realize their husbands could be serving in the military or something, but I think it is safe to say that they represent two more broken families. Behind me was a father with his son and his son's girlfriend. He was obviously trying to make things as good as possible... but his wife was not there... yet another broken family (most likely). As I was sitting there, I was thinking about the marriage statistics that we hear quite frequently... over 50% of marriages ending in divorce. It was quite sobering to look about the restaurant and notice all the people that really are not having a truly happy Valentine’s Day. They are playing along... trying to make the moment fun... but behind it all is a life of brokenness... a hole that only He can fill. They seek for love in another man or woman, but they will never find it until they find Him. I'll be honest... it is scary being a young man going into the marriageable age and seeing all the brokenness from families torn apart by self-centeredness. I am by no means beyond self-centeredness and my future wife will not be either. I pray that my heart will be fixed on Him and that my words and actions will reflect that within my future marriage, and I pray the same for my future wife. He is the center of marriage... without Him, marriage is nothing. We are the next generation of marriages. We must keep Him at the core of everything we do... otherwise we will fail.