My wife and I were happy for 20 years,
then we met each other.”
-Rodney Dangerfield
The late Rodney Dangerfield was a comedian whose career spanned the 60s, 70s, and 80s. He was a regular on The Tonight Show and had his own New York night club. For a man who built his entire persona on being a guy who “gets no respect,” he was very successful.
One of his jokes: “I once took my wife to the dog show. She won.”
Dangerfield was married three times. Abandoned by his father at an early age, he probably had no idea what a healthy marriage looked like. But whatever the cause of his marital problems, by the 80s, he was living in an apartment with his poodle.
Most of us understand that a successful joke requires a seed of truth to be funny. His jokes about his wife were filled with those bitter seeds. No wonder behind the laughter there were real problems.
The scriptures are filled with mandates for us to honor and respect each other. But more currently, a book by Emerson Eggerichs called “Love & Respect” addresses the overwhelming need in a marriage for women to feel loved by their husbands and for men to receive respect from their wives. More than 1.6 million copies have been sold and its simple truths are said to be amazingly effective in helping troubled relationships.
Marriage is the foundation of the family, and families are the foundation of our communities. Want well balanced children? And healthy communities? Start by loving and respecting your wife or husband. Dangerfield was funny, but building a solid foundation for our families is no laughing matter.
Blessings,
Jim
“…With God, all things are possible” – Matthew 19:26
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