WEB POSTED 07-17-2001

"--- OR FOREVER HOLD YOUR PEACE!"

This past weekend was exceptionally enjoyable to me�exhausting, but enjoyable�thanks to the presence of my daughters and my ever-energetic grandsons, who drove in from Georgia to spend a few days with the old folks. Instead of tiring me out, they filled me with an energy which only loving children can produce. My oldest daughter, whose wedding I am scheduled to perform in a few weeks, brought along her fianc�, thus giving me the opportunity to give them the necessary premarital counseling, which I deem to be a crucial portion of the wedding ceremony. I am sure that many broken marriages would not have come apart had there been proper counseling. One reason is that some of them would never have been completed, once the true nature of the commitment was understood.

Contrary to the belief of many marital couples, two families are not being united; two individuals are being united to create a new family which will be related to the two families from which they descend. If this is properly understood, you will never have to worry about in-laws getting into your business. Children naturally understand their familial relationships, until they are brainwashed with a lot of foolishness. I remember a time when my paternal grandmother intended to whip me unjustly, and I refused to accept the whipping. That night, my father confronted me with the report he had received from his mother. Based upon what both she and I told him, my father had to admit that grandma was wrong.

"But," he added, "she is my Mother!"

My answer was simple�"Then let her whip you."

Reflect upon the fact that if you are married and something happens that the authorities must contact your "next of kin", they will not look for your mother or your father, but your spouse! Although you do not have each other�s blood coursing through your veins, you are each other�s closest relative. Why? Because, no matter how wonderful each of your mothers and your fathers may be, you just happened to be lucky �you did not choose them. On the other hand, you selected your mate � for life, unless you lied.

The truth of biblical scripture would be a great help to us if we sought the meanings, rather than accept everything at face value, no matter how obvious the impossibility of it is. The Bible speaks of Eve being created from one of Adam�s ribs. This, of course, was merely literary symbolism, which is quite common throughout the Bible. Any physician will tell you that men do not have a gap in their chest structure where a rib used to be. The literary picture which is painted in that scriptural statement is the role the right woman can play in the protection and enrichment of the life of a worthy man. It is no accident that the symbol used is that which protects the very heart of a man, the proper function of which is necessary for life itself.

When you get married, the key to success is the remembrance of the phrase "�forsaking all others�"!