Marriage

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The night after Trevor proposed to Miranda, the young couple sat at the kitchen table to discuss wedding plans. "The first thing we will need to do is decide on a date," Miranda said. "Then we will need to let everyone know the date and arrange it with our church."

"You're right," Trevor said. "Let me look at the calendar." He looked at the calendar on the wall. "Let's see, it's February right now. It should take us six months to get everything together, so what do you say we get married on the first Saturday in August?"

"Sounds great," said Miranda. "Let's go tell my parents we decided on a date."

"All right," said Trevor. "I'll need to make phone calls to my mom and dad, too." He took Miranda's hand, and they went into the living room to tell Richard and Janice they had decided on a date. Richard and Janice were overjoyed and embraced Trevor and Miranda.

"I need to call my parents and let them know, too," Trevor announced. He went to the portable telephone on top of the counter that separated the kitchen from the living room and picked up the receiver. Suddenly he became overwhelmed with emotion. He would be calling his parents on separate telephone numbers. That was a reminder to him of how much it still hurt that his parents were no longer together. His hand began to tremble, and he dropped the receiver and began to cry.

Miranda ran to him and held onto him. "Trevor, what's the matter?" she asked.

Trevor closed his eyes as hot tears streamed down his face. Holding Miranda close, he said, "It still hurts so much. I'll need to dial my mom's phone number, and then when we're done talking I'll need to dial my dad's. They live in different homes and have different phone numbers. It won't stop hurting that they're no longer together." He sobbed deeply and held Miranda a little more tightly.

Richard stood up and clapped a sympathetic hand on Trevor's shoulder. "Divorce hurts everyone. We know children from church whose parents are divorced, and they take it hard, too. Parents' divorce is hard no matter what your age, and I don't think the pain ever completely goes away. But the reason it hurts so much is the same reason death hurts so much. Neither divorce nor death were part of God's original intention for mankind."

Janice stood up and patted Trevor's back. "But you have learned from your parents' mistakes and I know you are the right man for our daughter and you two will have a successful marriage, since you are already practicing godly love toward each other and relying on Jesus and have determined to continue to do so after you are married."

The whole Parker family embraced Trevor, who was very much comforted by their love and support. He called each of his parents, and they were both overjoyed and agreed to come to the wedding.

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