Marriage is a gift much like eternal life. God is the one who bestows upon us the potential to love and be loved within the institution of marriage. Every human being who has it receives eternal life as a gift. When we initially entered the world, we did not have it. We were born by the first Adam and destined for death. We did not create eternal life or create it from within us through some mysterious process. It is a gift rather than a domesticated plant planted and nourished on human soil. Therefore, marriage is not given as a reward for good deeds. Since receiving a reward is necessary for doing service, it cannot be a gift. The word "gift" eliminates any connotation of debt. If something is a gift or a grace, it is no longer an obligation or a recompense. Like eternal life, when God implants it in anyone's soul, it is a free gift of Jesus Christ given to the unworthy rather than the deserving. Therefore, we do not see a justification to divorce or revoke marriage from someone who has already acquired it. Imagine if a billionaire gave a poor man a $1 million mansion, and shortly after, the man suffered a hip dislocation in an accident. He could continue taking part in the gift like before his hip dislocated. If his latter situation was taken into account in any way, no one would be able to stop him from receiving the benefit any more than As It Was In The Beginning 02 they could have stopped him from ever receiving it. The billionaire did not give the poor man the mansion as someone who deserved it; it was a gift. The billionaire had already given the poor man the mansion, so there was no reason to stop him from continuing to live there. Just like Mephibosheth did not intentionally become handicapped, the poor man did not intentionally injure himself, and as a result, he was permitted to sit at David's table even though he was a lame man. "David said to him, Fear not, for I will surely show you kindness for Jonathan your father's sake, and will restore to you all the land of Saul your father [grandfather], and you shall eat at my table always" (1Samuel 9:7). Or why the present tense, as we have it here, should not always be a present fact. Alternatively, if the poor man abused the mansion, the millionaire had given him, the billionaire had the right to rescind the gift if his name was still associated with it and his reputation was tarnished as a result of the poor man's actions. Without question, marriage is a gift that God never intended to be taken away from anyone. Boredom, communication problems, lack of attention, lack of appreciation, anger issues, unrealistic expectations, division of labor, power inequality, lack of appreciation, stress, and issues are like broken legs and hips in marriages. Although they may affect the joy of marriage they are not justifications for a Giver of the gift of marriage to withdraw it from a beneficiary. It is more of a rationale for the husband and wife to adjust to each other based on their experiences and natural tendencies. Marriage Is A Gift 03 The Unknown Giver Of The Gift Of Marriage And The Abused Gifts T here is a story about a president who was already in office and was seeking reelection. It was at a time when the majority of his country, which had supported him in his first election, had grown weary of his administration's lack of effective leadership. Consequently, in accordance with the presidential polls, they planned to flip parties. In a presidential debate with his opponent, the moderator questioned the incumbent president about whether he had made an effort to visit areas where most people planned to change their party affiliation. The country's incumbent president responded: "Yes, I have, and I believe they are a segment of the country with a short memory, are they not?" They were the majority that elected him to an office just three years prior, but he claimed he had no idea if that was true or not.