A lot of people watch Duck Dynasty. In fact, the premiere episode of Duck Dynasty’s fourth season was the most watched nonfiction cable series ever. 11.8 million viewers tuned in to see the further adventures of the Robertson clan, of which I was one. Alycia and I normally don’t watch Duck Dynasty but we happened to be at my sister’s house and she does. So, before watching some Doctor Who, we watched some duck doctors.
The episode was all about the 49th wedding anniversary of Phil and Kay, the patriarch and matriarch of the Robertson family. The episode was a celebration of Phil and Kay’s lifelong love as their children and grandchildren prepared for a vow renewal ceremony.
As I watched the episode I realized that a lot of the 11.8 million viewers had never seen a marriage in real life last as long as Phil and Kay’s.
And that made me sad.
My grandparents were married for 60 years before my grandma passed away. It’s amazing that Phil and Kay have been married for 49 years but they don’t have anything on my grandma and grandpa. I hope to have a lifelong marriage and I am so blessed to have a real life example to model and not just a television example.
It’s a shame that the best marriage people can identify is one from a television show. I’ve had students tell me that they don’t believe in marriage because they’ve never seen a healthy one. If people only see first, second and third marriages end in divorce, why would anyone want to get married in the first place?
That’s why I’m thankful for people like my grandparents and the Robertsons. Sure, they’re just a couple on a reality show, but at least their reality is something we can admire and strive to. It’s also no coincidence that my grandparents’ marriage and Phil and Kay’s marriage were both founded on Christ. Christ is the most solid foundation for our lives, marriages include. And if we want to have the best marriages possible we need to stand firm on him before we ever stand up at the altar.
What examples of marriage do you try to emulate?
This being my 10 year anniversary, I too am saddened by how many marriages in our culture end in divorce. I was lucky to be in one of those rare families that didn’t have any divorces, and I am proud to be raising my kids in such a family. By the way, our marriage was too founded on Christ.