Scripture References: Ruth 1:1-18; John 8:31-38

It’s a mobile society we live in. We’re always busy, ever on the go, and not just in our activities but in our agility with moving through and beyond relationships and responsibilities which no longer suit us. The truth is, many of us have become suspicious or frightened of long-term commitments of any kind.

In contrast with the traditional emphasis we have placed on marriage for a lifetime, barring the untimely death of a spouse, of course, I heard a radio ad the other day that probably sizes us up pretty well. The mellow female voice was trying to sell bridal accessories, and her summary statement was something like: “You only get married for the first time once.”

Haven’t you noticed the gradual changes in our wedding ceremonies? The minister used to ask the bride and the groom, “Are you willing to be faithful and love through thick and thin as long as you both shall live?” Now there’s such a high percentage of divorce (I’ve heard recently that it’s just over 35 percent, a drop since the 80’s, largely due to people choosing to just live together rather than getting married) that “so long as you both shall live” has been dropped, and the couple is now asked in essence if they are willing to be faithful to each other and love one another through thick and thin only as long as such an arrangement seems convenient. We are much more at ease these days breaking marital and relational commitments than we used to be; this is also significant with jobs and careers .

It’s a different world now. Society has come to expect a sizable number of people not to stick with the same job or even the same career over time. Many people change careers one or more times in their lives and, to do so, go through all the retooling and retraining required. In a sense, such new freedom and opportunity is great for us. If we make a mistake in choosing our initial career or for circumstances beyond our control we lose the opportunity to practice that initial career, we aren’t stuck for life.

To Be Continued

Unless otherwise noted, Scripture taken from the New King James Version®, NKJV © 1982 by Thomas Nelson.
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