Today we talked about marriage and the family, something very practical and important.  It hits them where they live for they often don’t even know what the Bible says about husband wife relationships, much less how to put it into practice.  I use it for the first morning of the first day while they are extra attentive and open.  Let me explain some things about the family in India.

The family is the basic unit in society, so how the family goes so goes the culture and nature.  India has been in darkness and poverty for thousands of years, and their low view of marriage, women and children has a lot to do with it. The rate of arranged marriages in India is 90% (55% of the marriages that occur in the world today are arranged marriages).

The divorce rate in India is just 1.1%. People in the United States are 5 times more likely to be married 3 or more times than people in India are to be divorced just once.  That doesn’t mean marriages are better, just that divorce isn’t an option.  It is more common for women who are unhappy with their marriage to poison themselves rather than seek a divorce.

In an arranged marriage, the man is usually 4.5 years older than the woman in the formed relationship. 14 million girls are married before the age of 18 every year.  For many couples, they may meet each other for only 15 minutes before the marriage ceremony actually occurs.

Arranged marriages are viewed as a social and economic necessity so that both families can continue to economically thrive.  Women in India who have an arranged marriage may have up to 8 children in a common relationship.  86% of Indian population demographic in US are still marrying someone they have met within their community.

Girls who give birth to their first child before the age of 15 are 5 times more likely to die during the delivery of the child than women who are in their 20s.  There is an increased risk of HIV and AIDS transmission when young arranged marriages are enforced.  Girls who are in an arranged or forced marriage before the age of 18 are more likely to describe their first sexual experience as a forced experience.  Despite all of this, up to 85% of parents believe that their children will have a better life than they had themselves.

God clearly describes in His Word the importance of solid, godly families.  The decline of many of the morals and values in the USA can be clearly linked to the decline of the family here as well.  While we aren’t anywhere near where India is, it certainly seems we are moving in the wrong direction.  While you may not be able to do anything about the whole country, you can do your best to make sure your family relationship is solid and godly.  What can you do to strengthen your family and ties with relatives?  You can improve the world by improving your own family and life.

Matthew 19:4-6  He answered, “Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate

Proverbs 18:22  He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the Lord

Ephesians 5:25  Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.”

Do you faithfully pray for your family members and relationships?  Is there anyone you need to forgive?  Who can you reach out to in order to help them in their life and growth. 

Are you faithfully praying for the moral direction of the USA and its families?  Spend some time praying for them now.