Marriage Moats-Play By the Rules
Published: Thu, 02/09/12
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 (If you want to hear Lori read the story click) here
Sometimes I play cards with little kids. Occasionally one will declare a rule variation mid game.
"I get to play five cards instead of one."
"I can put down a two and a three as a matching pair because they are both red."
"My brother told me that 2's are wild on Thursday. Isn't today Thursday?"
It
usually catches me off guard. I notice that the new rule benefits my
opponent more than me. But he or she is only four and it is just a game.
Still I wonder about my place in helping children learn that rules can provide good boundaries.
I heard a woman explain her
divorce by saying that she and her husband have changed since they
married. The promise no longer applies, since they have drifted apart. They forfeited the rules.
A friend sent me an article about ten reasons people divorce, and this is one of them. Someone once told me the difference between the laws people make and the ones God makes. People sized rules can and do evolve. The speed limit, the driving age, and property lines are all efforts to keep people safe. But they are limited by the collective wisdom of human beings who by definition cannot see behind closed doors, or into the future.
God has rules too. But His don't vacillate because they are not arbitrary. They describe consequences, not punishments. If I cheat at poker I may or may not win the pot. But if I break the sixth commandment my love for marriage will diminish. It is not the result of a policeman on surveillance for reckless driving. It is a reflex inherent to the choice made. If I pour out half a glass of water, air rushes in to fill the void, but not because the liquid is mad at me for spilling. When I chose to lessen my commitment to marriage, a disregard for marriage fills the void.
The other day a little girl was over for sewing and my twins mentioned something about the Ten Commandments.
"What are the Ten Commandments?" the girl asked. You could have caught a flying starling in Hope and Aurelle's mouths. They are serious fans of God's rules. They believe that He wants nothing more than to protect and love them, and they have a ten year old's resolve to staying true to what He says.
I want to be like them. Photo by Chara Odhner
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