Let’s Focus on What Lasts

So my Twitter feed has been blowing up regarding Kim Kardashian’s wedding. Now let’s ignore the fact that Kim Kardashian makes almost no real contribution to society (Just edging out the Occupy Wall St. crowd in real relevance). But instead look at our culture’s reaction to the whole event.

We, as a nation, have become obsessed with weddings. It has become our primary focus when it comes to relationships. A number of sources report the average cost of a wedding being over $25,000. That’s a down payment on a house! There’s even people who hold the title “Wedding Planner.” We’ve become so focused on that one day that we hire people to make it perfect.

From just observing our culture, it appears that people get married so they can have a wedding instead of having a wedding so they can get married. This is the most backwards thing we have going on as a country.

I’m reminded of a story I heard from a pastor friend of mine. A couple he was going to marry was spending thousands upon thousands of dollars on the wedding. Yet, when it came to a $45 fee for premarital counseling, they turned away from it, saying it was too expensive. So despite evidence that suggests premarital counseling can increase the chance that a couple will stay together, they couldn’t cut back on the wedding cake or flowers in order to afford it. Instead of “’til death do us part,” their marriage runs the risk of lasting as long as the cake or the flowers.

Yet, where is our focus? It’s on the wedding day. It’s on a 24 hour period and then for some, the week or so honeymoon after it. That’s all indicative of why we have such a high divorce rate in the US. It tells quite the story.

Why isn’t our focus on the 50 year wedding anniversaries? Where are the $25,000 celebrations of a marriage that lasts? Why do we champion a one day event that can be negated by a few legal documents? But here we are… a nation obsessed with weddings.

Now I’m not married. But when I picture the idea in my head of being married, I don’t immediately think of the flower arrangement. I don’t imagine the bride’s dress. What I picture in my head looks more like this.

Well, not quite. I wouldn’t have a mustache and I wouldn’t have a hat like that. But that’s the idea.

Let’s redirect our focus. Instead of being obsessed with weddings, let’s get excited about marriage. Perhaps that will help out our country more than anything else.