BY LAURA K. LARSSEN
ICTURE TWO AMERICAN FAMILIES.
In the first, a mom with three daughters marries a dad with
three boys, and they all live happily ever after. In the second, a mom and a
dad sit on the couch and fling insults back and forth in front of their two
kids, all the while touting the values of "love and marriage." Although
these scenarios might seem like far-fetched examples of the modern family, these
marriages were on the TV pedestal for millions of young Americans beginning
in the 1960s.
Shows like The Brady Bunch (originally broadcast 1969-1974)
highlighted the experiences of a family that, despite all odds, produced a perpetually
perky marriage. Mike and Carol weathered every family crisis with ne'er a cross
word or a frown of disapproval. Perhaps during the upheavals of the 1970s, the
world wanted a show in which all problems, no matter how difficult, could be
neatly solved in 30 minutes. Years after the rapid success of The Brady Bunch,
television producers sought another show that highlighted family life. Amid
a sea of burps, one-liners, and catty insults, Al and Peg Bundy of Married
. . . With Children (1987-1997) focused on another side of marriage--total
disrespect. The Bundys represented the cynicism and flippancy toward commitment
at the other end of the marital spectrum. No cheery hugs here. Sure, you've
got the comfortable familiarity of family, but that's about where the good stuff
ends.
Happily Ever After?
As much as we hate to admit it, our views of marriage (Christian or not) are
shaped by the media. True, we don't expect marriage to be the idyllic life of
the Bradys or the vulgar life of the Bundys. On the other hand, I can recount
the tales of many single friends who, in the deepest recesses of their mating
minds, expect marriage to be a land of bliss, romance, candlelight--the stuff
that dreams are made of. Unfortunately, Hollywood fully exploits such ideals.
From the earliest movies of the twentieth century until now, many of the biggest
blockbusters follow the same basic plotline: Man meets woman. They fall in love.
They face some minor obstacle on their path to happiness. They overcome it,
get married, and live happily ever after. Sappy, yes, but even today's critical
audiences turn out en masse to view the latest romantic comedy, despite its
predictable ending.
Many of my friends wholeheartedly embrace these values, though
they'd hasten to deny it. They might be surrounded by hordes of potential Christian
companions, and yet they seek "THE ONE"--good-looking, brilliant,
rich, unselfish . . . the list goes on. I know all about those "list"
types. I used to be one, on my quest for "the one." But I found out
through sometimes painful experience that if you're looking for all the sparkle
of romance without the nitty-gritty of work in marriage, you're bound to be
disappointed.
Despite the popularity of The Brady Bunch, there is no
happily ever after following the wedding. There are good days and there are
bad days; times when you ache to see your mate, and times when you'll find any
excuse not to come home. You will see sides of that "perfect" person
that make you realize that everything you learned from The Brady Bunch
is Hollywood hogwash. So, if you're looking for that perfect person, realize
that they'll stay that way only as long as you hold them at arm's length. With
increasing intimacy comes increasing veracity.
What I Learned After "I Do"
As an expert (based on my extensive two years of marriage), I have arrived at
some conclusions about married life. Like Mike and Carol of The Brady Bunch,
you will experience tender moments of heartfelt goodwill and cheerful self-sacrifice
for your spouse, times of candlelight, music, and passion. However, you'll also
be subject to Bundylike moments of marital grunt-work (hopefully without the
belching and insults), days filled with bills, laundry, groceries, house payments,
jobs, and responsibilities. Marriage seems to be the melding of both elements--romance
and partnership--but the best Christian marriage can edify you, mold you, and
inspire you to become a better person.
Before I got married, I threw myself into learning all I could
about marriage. I read every book in the relationship section of Barnes and
Noble. I grilled married couples about their lives. My husband-to-be and I aced
our premarital counseling sessions. And of course, I tried to recall the wisdom
Hollywood offered on marriage from various movies and TV shows. But somehow,
all of that work couldn't fully prepare me for what marriage really was. The
Bradys and Bundys seemed to miss some of these pivotal truths:
1. I'm not as nice a person as I once believed. Let's
face it. Do you act as perpetually cheerful as Carol Brady? Probably not. When
it comes to real marriage, most of us will discover that, unlike Carol, we're
a little set in our ways. We like things the way we like them. And being single
generally doesn't disturb our way of living because there's no one else's opinion
to consider when deciding "Should I squeeze the toothpaste from the middle
or the end?"
Avoiding conflict is decidedly easier in casual relationships
because you're with those people for only a few hours a week. Not so in marriage.
Day in, day out, same person. You can't hide your flaws so easily, nor should
you have to. Marriage should be founded on the truth, and sometimes that leads
to painful revelations. Your annoying habits, your crazy ideas, and your irritating
inconsistencies will hit the spotlight in all of their glory (as will your mate's).
Don't panic! Getting past the "We're so perfect" stage of infatuation
doesn't have to be an exercise in self-torment. Honesty within marriage leads
to greater accountability. Which leads to . . .
2. I'm not responsible for just me anymore. Both the
Bradys and the Bundys held some sense of collectivism, the "we're in this
thing together" spirit. But responsibility in marriage is about more than
just sticking up for each other when times get tough. Marriage, and, most important,
Christian marriage, is about accountability. The best of marriages will challenge
us to become less selfish, more caring, and more Christlike individuals. So
when I lose my temper and say something unkind to my husband, he can help me
learn the lesson of humility by providing an accepting atmosphere in which to
apologize. Ecclesiastes 4:9, 10 says, "Two are better than one, because
they have a good reward for their labor. For if they fall, one will lift up
his companion. But woe to him who is alone when he falls, for he has no one
to help him up."* This goes for spiritual failures as well. It can be easy
to brush away spiritual slipups when no one knows but you and God. Marriage,
however, provides the ideal atmosphere in which to lift each other up after
the falls in life.
3. My neighbor isn't who I thought he was. No, I didn't
wake up this morning and discover that my next-door neighbor is an undercover
agent for the CIA. But I did have a startling surprise about what it means to
love my neighbor. We've all heard the two greatest commandments from the New
Testament: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your
soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,' and 'your neighbor as
yourself'" (Luke 10:27). We often think of "neighbor" in very
literal terms--as the individuals living on either side of our abodes. And our
views about how to love our neighbor usually entail outward actions, such as
smiling at those around us, biting our tongue when we have a critical comment,
or giving banana bread to the sick. It can be marvelously easy to act in a "loving"
way toward our casual acquaintances, our fellow church members, even our relatives.
We might pat ourselves on the back for so easily fulfilling God's commandment
to love our neighbors. But as I pondered the words about loving your neighbor,
I started to wonder, as did the lawyer in Jesus' time, "Who is my neighbor?"
I realized that my closest neighbor actually lives under my own roof, shares
my toothpaste, and hogs the sheets at night.
That's right--he's my husband.
Loving Your Neighbor
Is it always easy to love your spouse? Let me ask this: Have you ever had a
day when you wake up late, get caught in traffic, miss a deadline, and leave
work utterly exhausted? You run into a friend at the grocery store, put on your
plastic smiley-face mask (à la Carol Brady), and cordially inquire about
their spouses and kids with the greatest of ease. Then the moment you walk through
your own front door, BAM! Out comes Oscar the Grouch. Plastic smiley-face masks
are long gone as the real "you" suddenly appears.
When you become honest with yourself, you may discover that
the person you are in marriage is the closest to the "real you." This
is the "you" when all the masks come off, when the artificial Carol
Brady niceness has been put away. If you're honest enough to take a close look
at the "you" your spouse knows, you might admit that they don't always
see the most pleasant version, and you certainly don't treat them as courteously
as the friend in the grocery store. In my marriage, I've realized that there
are days when I simply don't feel like being "chipper," when an entire
day filled with chatty teens has left me bereft of words. It is on those days
that my spiritual values and my Christianity are tested. Can I act on the values
that I claim to hold? Despite feeling otherwise, can I truly love my spouse?
The best marriages are "based on full confidence, based
on complete and unqualified frankness on both sides . . . there's no deception
underneath it all. If I might so put it, it's an agreement for the mutual forgiveness
of sins."1 If marriage is for the mutual forgiveness of sins, then marriage
also provides the perfect forum in which to practice everyday Christianity.
If you can't forgive your spouse, you certainly can't forgive your neighbor;
and if you can't act lovingly toward your spouse, you're not fulfilling God's
commandment to love your neighbor. Marriage gives you a daily opportunity to
act on the values that you claim to profess as a Christian. "Having a great
marriage gives you an opportunity like no other to practice generosity, love,
understanding."2
Have you ever heard someone pray, "Forgive us our sins as we forgive our
spouses"? Probably not. It's a dangerous prayer to pray. But that's the
essence of the gospel--forgiveness at all times, primarily with the people who
can hurt you the most, and especially when it's not easy. Forgiveness
costs something. It might cost your pride, your smugness, or your ability to
gloat over your spouse. But being able to forgive and be forgiven is intricately
tied up in our ability to give and receive love. Jesus addressed this issue
when He spoke to Simon after Mary had anointed His feet, saying, "But to
whom little is forgiven, the same loves little" (Luke 7:47). If you don't
realize that you're forgiven, you can't forgive others. And if you can't forgive
others, you are incapable of true love, which is the essence of successful Christian
marriage.
The Journey
I like to think of marriage as the dress rehearsal for our Christianity before
we act it out in the real world. If you can love your spouse when times get
tough, if you can forgive him or her when you just don't feel like it, you are
on the path to loving your neighbor. You begin to view your marriage as more
than just a convenient relationship, but as a set of divine appointments to
act on your Christian principles. "When your life and relationships revolve
around a compelling set of spiritual values . . . then every interaction--pleasant
or unpleasant--between you and your mate becomes another opportunity to pursue
those very principles and qualities you hold most dear."3
When viewed in that light, Christian marriage is the most important
"thing" you'll ever do, the stage on which you practice what you preach.
And although your problems won't be solved in 30 minutes as were those of the
Bradys or Bundys, you can weather the good times and the bad when you and your
spouse share the journey of authentic Christian living.
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*All Bible texts in this article are from the New King James Version.
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1 Henrik Ibsen, The Wild Duck, act 4. Taken from The Columbia Dictionary
of Quotations (New York: Columbia University Press, 1993).
2 Gregory Popcak, The Exceptional Seven Percent: The Nine Secrets of the
World's Happiest Couples (New York: Kensington Publishing, 2000), p. 55.
3 Ibid., p. 54.
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Laura K. Larssen writes from Madison, Wisconsin, where she resides with her
husband and two cats. She is currently pursuing a master's degree in teaching
while working as a substitute teacher and freelance writer.