A 55-hour commitment

The cartoon shows a young man, down on his knees before a young woman, hands clasped, eyes locked, as he says, “I’m just asking for a 55-hour commitment.” The cartoon mimicked the very short marriage of singer Britney Spears to her high school friend, Jason Alexander. From saying, “I do” in a Las Vegas wedding chapel to a legal annulment, the clock registered just 55 hours.

Question: Why bother marry, anyway? Why bother to go to a church, invite your friends to celebrate with you, pay for a ring and a honeymoon? That, of course, is the question that leads many to say, “Hey, forget the wedding. Let’s just sleep together!”

The bottom line is that God knew that without the commitment of marriage, hearts would stray eventually. Furthermore, He made humankind in such a way that there is a bonding emotionally, physically and spiritually, in the union of a male and female. Without commitment, neither a husband nor a wife can have the needs of his life fully met.

Is it too much to expect of anyone living in a sex-saturated world to stay committed to just one person? Some think so. They are the ones who split, try again and usually end up alone; but those who endure the rigors of marriage are the ones who can never imagine not being there for each other. They may fight and feud, argue and yell, but never, ever consider walking out on the other or not being there for each other at the end.

Without commitment, the kind that is made in good faith, the kind that takes constant enforcing and feeding, there is no hope, no future for a marriage.

As one long married old gentleman expressed it, “We have lived with the constant expectation that tomorrow would be better.” Indeed.