You’ve probably heard the common statement that one out of every two marriages ends in divorce.

You might have also heard that this figure is inflated because some people go on to remarry three, four, five times or more–and in doing so, inflate the divorce stats for everyone else which makes it appear one of every two marriages end in divorce.

So what’s the truth?

CitizenLink points our attention to some recently released data from the U.S. Census Bureau which shows a much better picture.  It turns out that out of people who have ever married, 75.55% have only been married once.

It’s true that some people do get married, divorce and then never remarry.  From what I saw, the data did not quantify these numbers.  But experience tells us that most people eventually give it at least one more shot after a divorce.

The Census Bureau data also reported the average marriage in America lasting over 18 years.  That’s not bad, especially when you consider that by the time a couple have lived long enough to be married 18 years, not only divorce but death has statistically ended quite a few marriages.

There are still too many divorces in our culture, and marriage is definitely under fire from many directions.

But it isn’t on the death march liberals would have us believe it’s on. So don’t let the Left fool you into throwing in the towel on protecting the sanctity on marriage by believing the illusion that it’s obsolete.

We can all do a lot to strengthen the important, fundamental institution of marriage.

Before we marry, wait to have sex–it messes up your judgment.  Before we marry, take an honest look at the person’s character and at compatibility issues. Before we marry, don’t rush into anything.  Be as sure as you possibly can that you’re not marrying an abusive, self-centered person–and don’t ignore warning signs. Before we marry, if we decide to marry, let’s make up our minds before tying the knot that we’re going to keep our vows even if it hurts, stick with it whether it feels wonderful all the time or not, and exclude divorce as a possibility even before exchanging vows.

After we marry, we need to love our mate–not just the wonderful, euphoric feeling but the act of love, the decision to love…because truly loving someone is an act of the will, a decision of the mind as much as the heart.  Love your mate not 50% but 100%…whether you believe they’re loving you 100% back or not.

And let’s strengthen each other’s marriages by encouraging one another to keep our vows, honor our commitments, and put others before ourselves.

It’s up to each and all of us to restore respect to this indispensable union.

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