With all the heat we have been having as of late, it would be nice to change the subject. Let’s talk about snowmen. We do not get to roll too many snow men in Hulett because the snow is usually a little too dry. But every once in a while, it packs a little bit and that is the time to go out and make a snowman, for better or for worse. For the first few moments, for better or for worse is easy because the desire is there. But as we start rolling our balls of snow and it seems more comes off than builds on, we tend to get disgruntled and discouraged and start looking around for something with more immediate rewards. But for better or for worse means just that, so we stop and pat more snow on with a little more care and a little more persistence until the snowball is big enough and heavy enough to pack on the snow all by itself as it is rolled around and around the yard. When all we have to do is continue to roll the ball and watch it grow, for better or for worse seems to just keep going and growing without too much effort or frustration on our part.
Now for the application. Marriage can be likened to building a snowman. Before we begin our marriage, there is much anticipation as we wait for just the right day, our wedding day. And then whether or not we remember all that the preacher said, in the midst of all of the excitement, we do remember repeating those words, “for better or for worse.” For better or for worse is easy at first because the desire for something new in a better relationship is there. But as we proceed with our marriage and see that our lives don’t grow together as easily as we thought… and as we get burdened with trying to adapt to another person in our life… and as we struggle to change to accommodate each other… and as we start to lose sleep because of the baby crying in the bedroom down the hall, it seems that for better or for worse is not as easy as it sounded on our wedding day. And so we struggle a little and persist a lot through those first 5, 10 or 15 years as we stop repetitively to plan, build, and grow together. And then, like that snowball, things begin to settle in place and pack together as the marriage and family grow and the bond of love that holds everything together continues to build. For better or for worse just keeps going and growing without nearly as much thought or effort as in those first years. And when we arrive at 50, 60 or 70 years together we look back and are thankful for all of the years we had to build together, all because we stuck together and grew together, for better or for worse.
“But from the beginning of the creation, God made them male and female. For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh; so then they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate.” Mark 10:6-9