We have homosexual couples fighting for the right to be married and we have reality shows like "The Bachelor" where a guy sleeps with the last three contestants before he finally chooses his "life-long" partner.
Give me a break!
A teenager's perspective of relationships, love, and marriage is typically not based upon biblical principles but the environment around them.
The average teenager has either experienced the pain of divorce first hand or is a close friend with someone who has.
Parents and youth pastors have to pick up the pace and begin to invest principles of godly relationships into their lives.
Do The Math
To get a college degree it will take four years. To become a lawyer, you're talking about seven years of higher education, and to become a doctor you're looking at 8-10 years.
That's a lot of time, energy, and commitment invested in one's vocation, but it's worth it because when you're done, you'll be a highly qualified, trained, and prepared individual.
However, the average couple spends...what, maybe TWO hours in premarital counseling and preparation for marriage?
Hmmm, I just can't figure out why so many couples struggle in their marriage. It just doesn't add up!
I wouldn't want someone to do surgery on me who had only read a book about it, yet we think couples will be just fine in their relationships if that's the only kind of marriage preparation they pursue.
A Solid Foundation Is Required
As parents, pastors, youth leaders, and educators, we need to help break out of the mold and begin to teach godly attributes of marriage to our kids—beginning with those in junior high and moving up from there.
We need to start now and build within them a solid foundation of how to be a godly husband or wife. We need to do our best to give them a full and complete understanding of marriage.
Why do we think they will hear anything we say in premarital counseling? By that time, they are already starry eyed, floating on a cloud, and blind to the faults and potential downfalls of their relationship. Why? Because they're "in love."
We need to teach them the foundations of a healthy relationship, how to choose a mate, and how to be led by the Spirit of God, before they have been bitten by the love bug.
The list goes on and on of topics to cover. But the point is the same: we need to reach and educate our young people before their emotions overtake their brains.
When young men and women graduate from our youth groups they should be full of knowledge and wisdom about marriage, commitment, and life-long relationships.
I am totally convinced that this can be the generation to break the curse of divorce. Let's help them fulfill their destiny!
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