Culture to cultivate...

Let me start this piece by asking you to kindly excuse the pun.

There are only so many words in English language I could have used as the topic for this. You'll see & hopefully understand why I chose these ones as you read on.

Have you noticed how much times have changed? These days we're so quick to dispose and replace rather than maintain by repairing. This is one culture I'm fighting even with "needle and thread" - yes, I still darn socks, sew hems and buttons. That is definitely one life skill my mother taught me that I want to pass on to my children.

Ok where was I? Yes so times have changed and unfortunately the lack of maintenance culture has creeped into things/relationships that should last a lifetime. I'm sure you know where I'm going...

Spot on: I'm talking about marriage...one of my favourite topics. 

A sister in my church shared her interaction with a couple that had been married for over 50 years or so. When asked how the made it together for so long, the husband responded: "In our days, we didn't replace things that weren't working

- we repaired and maintained them."

Hmmm - profound and foundational won't you say? Indeed Maintenance culture is one that need to be (re)cultivated - in marriage and even other areas of life. With this culture, you'll be amazed how much of your emotional, mental, physical & financial resources you'll save.

I'm not saying that you should never dispose or replace certain things or even some people who are a drain - I'm saying that you should not dispose/replace your spouse. You are joined and to be together till death does you part. You may not always have good times - God knows that which is why Ecc 4: 9-13 says:

"Two are better than one, because they have a good [more satisfying] reward for their labor; For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up! Again, if two lie down together, then they have warmth; but how can one be warm alone? And though a man might prevail against him who is alone, two will withstand him. A threefold cord is not quickly broken." (Amplified)

I agree with Simone Signoret that "Chains do not hold a marriage together. It is threads, hundreds of tiny threads which sew people together through the years."
So you see there is a link between sewing and staying married - just teasing... However, the truth (using a sewing saying), is that a stitch in time saves nine - especially in marriage.

Bottomline:

 "They say it takes a village to raise a child. That may be the case, but the truth is that

it takes a lot of solid, stable marriages to create a village." ~ Diane Sollee

Cultivate a maintenance culture and we'll have a much more stable world for our children.

Make that live-changing decision today 12-12-12 - a date we'll not see for another century...