| I can remember, clearly, a conversation I had with a mentor of mine in 2020 during the depths of the Covid-19 pandemic. I consider him to be a fairly insightful and prophetic voice about our culture, and he said this to me:
“The next pandemic in this country will be a pandemic of divorce.”
And, unfortunately, he was right. After falling gradually, but steadily, for the last twenty years in the United States, the divorce rate rose abruptly, beginning in 2020 and on into today (Forbes.com, “Revealing Divorce Statistics in 2024”).
My own personal, pastoral assessment is this: Like Covid-19 did to the physical body, what the pandemic period did was exacerbate underlying conditions. Covid-19 as a virus was serious, but those at the highest risk of mortality were those who already had something else going on–and a new virus was often more than their body could handle.
In the same way, all of us, and many marriages, have been faced with new pressures on us for the last few years, on top of what we may have already been facing previously. The pressures of the pandemic period, unfortunately, made worse what was already there.
All that to say: This is your sign.
If your marriage is great, and you are wanting it to stay great, this is your sign: invest again to keep what you’ve built.
If your marriage is doing ok, but facing serious issues, this is your sign: don’t wait, address them now.
If your marriage is struggling, and you are facing a loss of hope, this is your sign: don’t give up!
“This Is Your Sign” is the theme of our upcoming marriage event (if you haven’t heard or didn’t guess!).
With all the challenges couples face, we wanted to get in front of all the traffic, all the noise, and proclaim some helpful truths, meaningful information, and loving encouragement for all couples, regardless of stage or place.
Along with all the fun (seriously, this is one of the most fun events we do), friends, great food, and breakouts, Carrie and I will be speaking on one of our favorite topics: marriage.
What are red lights (things should we stop doing)?
When should we yield to one another?
What are green lights (things we must do to make marriage last)?
All this and more we will talk about the weekend of February 23-24.
So, don’t wait. You’ll want to register right away (there are only a few spots left, and this event always sells out and produces a waiting list).
We hope to see you there, we hope to help you stay together, and we hope to help equip you to love one another for a lifetime.
Morgan |
