“MY WEDDING RING IS STUCK!”

It had to be done. I had put it off for nearly three years. You know the procedure. That dreaded procedure that everyone is supposed to have when they turn fifty.

It’s that procedure where the prep is much worse than the actual procedure. The one where the sleep you get is some of the best sleep ever, but it’s way to short. Well, I got that news from the doctor that everyone wants to hear. “I’ll see you in ten years!” Yea!

When the anesthesiologist came in he asked me if I could take off my wedding ring. I kept trying, but it just wouldn’t come off. They gave me some special liquid to try but it still wouldn’t budge. I had to sign a special release to be able to have the procedure while wearing my ring.

I started thinking about how long it had been since my wedding ring had been off my finger and I don’t think I’ve had it off since the day Laura placed in on my finger more than thirty years ago.

Of course the problem is I’ve put on a few pounds since that stealth 165 I weighed when we married. I’m working diligently this year to shed a few of those, but I don’t have any plans to remove my ring. It is permanently stuck.

We live in a time when way too many of God’s people are taking off their wedding rings. How can we reverse the current trend? How can we stop the rising divorce rate among the people of God? What are the characteristics needed to ensure that our wedding rings would be forever stuck? Let’s consider just a few.

COMMITMENT

When God brought the first couple together He said, for this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh.” (Genesis 2:24)

The idea presented here is that when a man and a woman are joined together in marriage they are to be close to one another for a lifetime. If we do not have this type of commitment we will quit the first time some trouble comes along.

CALLING

Marriages will be strong when a husband and wife understand the role to which God has called them. When a man loves his wife the way Christ loves the church (Ephesians 5:25, 28), and when he leads her the way Christ leads the church happiness will prevail.

When a wife lives in submission to her husband the way the church lives in submission to Christ (Ephesians 5:22) marriages will be strong.

COACHING

Our wedding rings will remain stuck when we are willing to receive advice and help from others. The strongest couples surround themselves with other faithful couples that will encourage and strengthen. The kind of people we associate with will influence our marriages (1 Corinthians 15:33).

We should consider those among us who have been married successfully for many years. We don’t need to look for perfect marriages (there are none), but we would do well to look for faithful marriages to emulate.

CARING

When a husband and wife care deeply about each other and their marriage they will work to keep the wedding bands stuck. We need to show our care and concern for one another as the years roll on. It is important during every phase of marriage that husbands and wives show each other how much they care. When the Word of God commands us to be kind to one another surely that would include our mate.  (Ephesians 4:32)

I thank God that my wedding ring is stuck and I hope your's will be as well. My prayer is that they become a permanent part of who we are, that they help define us. Good, strong marriages take a lot of effort, a lot of prayer, and a lot of time. With God’s help and our work we can build strong families that will be an influence for good through many years.

Dear Father in Heaven, help us to build the kind of marriages that will keep our wedding rings stuck. Help us Lord, to show our children and others around us what real marriages should be. Dear God, may we be the kind of person that both desires and works to make sure our marriages are strong. In the Name of our Savior we pray, amen.