Until Death Do Us Part

After observing a few more marital shake ups and break up lately, I thought perhaps we would dwell for a moment on commitment. You and I have heard it all: “We’re no longer compatible.” “I just don’t love her anymore.” “He won’t take care of himself.” “We only stayed together for the kids.” “She’s no longer the woman I married.” “He’s married to his work.” The list goes on and on. It seems to me that the traditional wedding vows covered sickness and health, richer or poorer, better or worse. Then they usually conclude with the words “Until death do us part,” or in some cases, “As long as we both shall live.” Those words are pretty straight forward. However, over time we seem to retranslate them into, “Until I don’t love him or her anymore,” or “As long as we’re happy.” The whole idea of the original intention was to make an unbreakable vow before God and our friends, neighbors and family. With divorce rates creeping up near 50% in some areas, that forever concept has kind of been thrown out the window. I would like to make two observations from the bible on this subject. First, I believe that God originally ordained marriage as a picture of His relationship with us and Christ’s sacrifice for us. Second, there is no place in the bible where you can find the words, “If you love each other, then get married.” The bible only indicates that if we are married, then we should love one another. The appreciation of, and adherence to, those concepts can have a far reaching impact on marriages if we are willing to take them seriously. I love weddings and all the romance which seems to be associated with a ceremony, a honeymoon and starting a new life together. But the beauty of those rituals pales in comparison to the magic of two people being married for 40, 50 or 60 years. That is the picture of true love. Television and movie love are a fantasy. Real love celebrates golden anniversaries. That’s the kind of love God shows to us and it’s what we owe to one another if we have taken those vows before Him. In a world where commitment seems to be waning and traditional values are under attack, perhaps the most powerful words anyone can aspire to are, “Until death do us part.”

Until Death Do Us Part
We seem to have forgotten
How much wedding vows mean today
So when life grows too difficult
Folks just seem to walk away
They forget about their promise
To stand through sickness and health
To stay when things were better or worse
Through poverty and through wealth
We cast aside the promises
We made back at the start
To the ultimate commitment
When we vowed, “Till death do us part”
A vow devoid of options
Which, in this world of lies
Stands as the measure of commitment
Unmarred by compromise
Those vows don’t mention happiness
Nor compatibility
Clearly, because they become subjective
When folks begin to disagree
In the end, there is no greater tribute
To what marriage is all about
Than those who stay “till death do us part”
Who live those wedding vows out
So when your commitment is waning
And you feel love slipping away
Remember the vow you made before God
And your loved ones that long ago day
Find a way to rekindle the fires
Which once burned so bright in your heart
And stand by your promise, whatever the cost
Until death do us part
By Frank Carpenter ©