As a Jew, Lent is not one of the traditions my family and ancestors practiced. Yet reading Mike McManus’ post on the Coalition for Divorce Reform website left me inspired by the sacred meaning and potential of the 46 days of reflection and sacrifice observed by Catholics and many Protestants that ends on Easter Sunday.
Mike McManus is a highly respected, longtime pioneer and passionate advocate for resilient marriages and successful families. He’s calling on his pastor and others to create Community Marriage Covenantsas part of this year’s Lent observance. As I read his post, I wondered what it could mean if during these sacred days, love itself became the sacrifice.
The statistics he shares from his local community, with a divorce rate of 65%, compared with other areas of the country where he’s launched Community Marriage Covenants that have helped cut the rate of marital breakdown is a reminder of Jesus leaving his birthplace of Bethlehem to share his values and teachings in Nazareth.
Long before the time of Christ, the unique challenges of impacting communities closest to our hearts and homes, and, too often, within our own homes and families, has been painful to many; myself included. For evidence-based marriage and relationship education to gain the respect, acceptance and traction needed to impact larger numbers of couples and families throughout America, individually and collectively we have to overcome those especially difficult tests that are often revealed as a participant raises a hand in class to ask with all sincerity of those teaching relationship skills, “How’s your marriage?” [READ MORE HERE.]