The marrying season has arrived. It seems like June is the month for weddings. You may be attending one today. My family is. And we had one last week, too. Neither one was at our church, but rather both were for family members in other places.

We all know what happens at weddings. Everyone gets all dressed up, someone inevitably cries, and we listen to the vows made by the bride and groom. We eat cake, hug and kiss everyone in sight, and reminisce with relatives we haven’t seen in years.

But are we really paying attention to the words being said in the midst of a wedding ceremony? The couple promises to "love, honor and cherish," and they promise to do so "for better or worse, in sickness or in health, ‘til death do us part." Those are serious words. I always remind the couple, when I officiate at the wedding, that these words are of great importance. They are not simply making promises to each other, but they are making those promises before God. That changes everything.

Many of you reading this article today are married. Can I ask you a question? When is the last time you thought about your wedding vows? How carefully are you keeping them today? It does not matter if you have been married 6 months, or 60 years, it can do you a world of good to recall and renew those vows.

Have you recently had a spat? Are you angry with each other? We know that disagreements are inevitable in life. As one man told me, "If a married couple has never had an argument, then one of them is not necessary." But those bumps in the road need not throw us in the ditch. We can stay on the right road, but we must remember that any relationship requires work.

The family is so important. Marriage is a tremendous gift and blessing from the Lord. Please allow me to encourage you to work hard to make your marriage all that it can be. Express love verbally and through your actions. Commit yourself once again to be the best husband/wife you can be. God will bless you if you do, and you will be glad. Your marriage can be all it was intended to be. May God bless our homes and marriages is my prayer for each of us.