I do not mean to cause any discomfort. Ignore this post if you wish. My mind is a little overactive at times for what some people are willing to consider.
Death is a reality because of our sinfulness. We were not originally designed to have our body and soul severed as they are.
Many times life slips away amid a flurry of activity in a hospital room. Sometimes the person is quietly let go. Movies like The Last Samurai depict the glory of death in battle while demanding that the life up to that point be filled with honor.
Whenever we marry, we face the probability that one spouse will die before the other. It is rare that both will die at the same time, unless you live in a viking culture. I know several people who lost a spouse while still “young.” You can translate that as you wish; the older you get, the younger everyone else seems.
Here are my questions: When a husband remarries, why does our society expect him to put away the pictures of his first wife? How is this “normally” dealt with when the wife remarries? The marriage bond is an intimate one that was designed to be between one man and one woman. Have you read anything that deals with this in a second marriage? If so, is it anything you could recommend to me?
If they deal with it adequately enough, I’m quite willing to read secular sources. This won’t be a topic that I intend to devour in the next week or two but is on my to-ponder list. Thanks!
Comments
Submitted by netwiz on
I haven’t done an extensive study on this, but I have been married long enough to have discussed our plans. My attitude is that it’s so unlikely that I don’t want to give it a lot of thought, and while it’s a little based on what age I am should I lose my wife, my assumption is that I won’t remarry. My wife has indicated (for reasons similar to what you listed about the marriage bond) that she isn’t expecting to remarry.
Marriage is through a glass darkly; not a nirvana of live…look at your reasons for it again.
Those all apply should one face the question of remarriage. Another direction to take this would be “what if one has been the equivalent (emotionally/physically) of married to someone without doing it officially…e.g. you were foolish…then what factors should apply.”
Submitted by Chris on
Marriage is a very hard thing to plan around every eventuality. “Through a glass darkly” is a very good analogy but that does not prevent a lot of teenagers from promising to never hurt the other person (amusing but not something I will do; the intent is a given).
I have spoken with a couple people who could not imagine being married to anyone else (which is great) but then I see so many examples of need. Marriage is because of need—“it is not good for man to be alone.” Paul, in his first epistle to Timothy, writes how much of a need it is for most women as well.
Our culture has made the avoidance of marriage easier. Guess I’m trying to break cultural boundaries in my studies.