Desensitization Of Marriage

In today’s Western Culture, marriage has come to mean many different things. “The ways in which we refer to marriage, and especially the terms we favor, reflect our views of it” (Grün, 2006, p. 163). Since the turn of the century, divorce rates have been higher than ever before and many individuals wonder why. It is estimated that roughly 50% of the marriages in the United States result in divorce. Society has created this do-over mentality that gives many people an “easy out” for their decisions. As a culture, we have also become very poor problem solvers. Instead of dealing with it, couples take the simple route: divorce. The term ‘divorce’ itself has lost its harshness and severity. With nearly half of all relationships ending in divorce, society has become desensitized and marriage has become an impermanent and reversible life choice.
Growing up in the church and discussing authentic Christian marriage has shown me why having a God-centered relationship is so important. In Grun’s analysis of marriage, he mentions two interesting themes in the Christian marriage Sacrament. First, marriage is a gift from God, and second, marriage signifies the love of Jesus. Through these two themes, Grun
If all couples were able to comprehend this theme, I feel that marriages would be a lot different. They would no longer have a worldly perspective in their relationship, but instead an eternal one, in which they loved one another as a way to show the love of Jesus. Grun states that “marriage is one of the main places we meet Christ” (Grün, 2006, p. 167). All throughout the Bible, Jesus commands us to love one another. A loving and sincere spousal relationship should be where Jesus’ command is most noticeably shown largely due to the fact that marriage is sacrificial love. It is about making sacrifices for the good of the whole. Grun explains this concept perfectly,