Marriage Stats: So, what about the famous statistic that half of all marriages end in divorce? That’s true, but only when it comes to first marriages, half of which are dissolved. Second and third marriages actually fail at a far higher rate. - Forbes Magazine the average length of a marriage prior to divorce is eight years. -Forbes Many couples choose not to get married or delay marriage because they live together. The world is telling us that marriage is disposable, the world is telling us to test drive the car before, and God is telling us today to enter into a HOLY union. The Creation Of Marriage Genesis 2:18   1. We Are Not Created To Be Alone The Hebrew construction of v. 18 accentuates the negative phrase “not good” by placing it at the head of the sentence. God has made man and provided a beautiful environment with honorable work, a setting men may sometimes consider idyllic, but God announces that more is to be done to achieve the ideal for man. God’s concern is that man is “alone.”  Whether the man felt his aloneness at first is not stated; only the divine viewpoint is given. God has created human life to fellowship with him and be a social entity, building relationships with other human beings. This verse is not suggesting that we all should be married. What it is suggesting is that we are not designed to be alone. God said that all of his creation was good, and the only thing he said was not good was an isolated human. Isolation is the worst thing that can happen to a human. We thrive in relationships, grow in community, and are happy in communion. Genesis 2:19-21  2. God Created Man and Woman To Be Perfectly Compatible Man and woman share in the “human” sameness that cannot be found elsewhere in creation among the beasts. In every way, the woman shares the same features of personhood as the man. The symbolic significance of the “rib” is that the man and woman are fit for one another as companions sexually and socially. The woman was created to be a loving companion for men and a helper for them. She was to share his responsibility and cooperate with him in fulfilling God’s purposes. We see 2 genders in this, nothing more. God created males and females to be perfectly compatible with one another. I see this is my marriage; I am a driver. If you need something done, I am your man, but God gave me Krystal to walk alongside me and nurture the people I am entrusted to lead. If marriage is done right, you are the perfect team to go and conquer anything the world can throw at you. Genesis 2:22-24  3. Two Become One The Lord presents his special “project” to the man, suggesting by this that she is a gift from the man’s Maker. God originally ordained marriage and the family unit as the first and most important institution on earth Notice that this does not say go and live together; it says leave your father and mother and be joined to his wife. Not girlfriend, not baby momma, there is no suitable relationship to cohabitate other than husband and wife. The creation of the first couple leads naturally to their relationship expressed through marriage since it is the couple’s charge to procreate and subdue the earth As a model for marriage, this passage involves three factors: leaving, uniting, and making a public declaration. The significance of the language “leave” is that marriage involves a new pledge to a spouse in which former familial commitments are superseded. Marriage requires a new priority by the marital partners where obligations to one’s spouse supplant a person’s parental loyalties. Notice that this says two become one. That means you are leaving your two families behind and becoming one family. That means your loyalty is no longer to Mommy and Daddy; it is to your spouse above all else. God is number 1, and your spouse is number 2. If you put anyone above your spouse, you will have issues. Marriage is the one relationship that God designed specifically for us. Every other relationship we have takes from us. Marriage is to bring us fulfillment. What are our transformational moments? Are you trying to do this life alone? Are you investing in the perfectly designed one for you? Is your spouse your number 2?