I left for a seminar this week. I unintentionally left my wedding ring laying on the dresser. I wear my wedding ring everyday. It is a white gold band. There are no diamonds on the band, but it is still valuable. Obviously, the ring means much to me personally. But I forgot it, so I stopped by Wal-Mart and found four silicone rings for $2.88. They are in different colors and it does the job of a wedding ring.
This little experience got me to thinking about how we value our marriage. My ring story serves as an analogy for how we can view marriage. There is the “silicone ring” view. You can get into the ring cheap and it doesn’t cost you much to lose it. I don’t really value the silicone ring. It isn’t precious or valuable, it is gained and lost easily. The “gold ring” view is much different. The “gold ring” is precious and valuable. It is worth much more and is held in honor.
The question this analogy gives is, “How do I view my marriage?” Is it precious and valuable in my sight? One of the major problems in our culture today is the change in how we view marriage. We have gone from a “gold ring” view to a “silicone ring” view. Marriage is viewed as cheap and expendable. It can be gained and thrown away easily. It is easy to get into and easy to get out of in our culture. But God is decidedly in the “gold ring” view category! He teaches us that “marriage is to be held in honor among all” (Heb. 13:4). Jesus valued and esteemed marriage. He performed his first miracle at a wedding (John 2:1-12). He taught the value and preciousness of marriage (Mat. 19:3-10). We must begin changing our culture back to a “gold ring” culture by valuing and esteeming our own marriages. Truthfully, it isn’t about the kind of ring you wear, but it is about how you view the marriage your ring represents!
