The southern preacher powerfully concluded his sermon on marriage, “Nearly every marriage problem I see in my office is a failure of married couples to ‘leave and cleave’ – and ignoring this biblical principle simply ends in disaster.”
It shook up my counselee because he listened carefully and took complete notes. The preacher even created a “warning checklist” – “living with your parents” or “having your parents pay your bills” were definite warning signs of a failure to “leave and cleave.” He wanted to know my opinion because it was concerning to him that he was disobedient to God’s Word.
Twenty years earlier, this man had come to the United States with a dream to become an engineer and eventually bring his parents to enjoy a better life with his family. After a decade of hard work as a software engineer, he and his wife built a house for his family with an in-law suite. His parents helped pay a few bills, prepared meals, and cared for his children before and after school.
For generations, their family had taken great pride in the younger generations caring for the older. His parents could afford their own apartment, but he wondered if
To continue...read the full-length post originally published on this site.
