Why are More People Over 50 Getting Divorced?

A new study by the Center for Family and Demographic Research within Bowling Green State University has found that divorces for those couples over age 50 have increased dramatically since 1980. Read the full article here. The study also found that married couples still live longer and have happier lives than those couples who simply live together, but that’s another blog for another day.

So why are older couples getting divorced at higher rates? While the article offers no clues, theories abound:

Couples live for their kids, and divorce after they’re gone
One of the spouses hits mid-life crisis, has an affair and ends the marriage in a blind rush to find happiness
Couples who have pursued wealth find that it’s empty and divorce in frustration over their unfulfilled expectations

I’m sure you could list others. And while I can only offer my own opinions, and all those listed above sound reasonable to me, I would like to offer a preventative step. Have a marriage mission.

Simply put, a marriage mission is a purpose for your marriage that’s bigger than your collective happiness. It’s a focus, a cause, a point to your marriage that quite honestly minimizes your temporal desires for things and happiness and emphasizes the grand WHY of your marriage.

It’s the couple who teaches Sunday School to 9th graders faithfully for 20 years
It’s the couple who runs the safe house in inner city Detroit
It’s the couple who fosters children taken out of desperate home situations
It’s the couple who live in a foreign country, serving the poor and oppressed together
It’s the couple who mentors who couples through difficult marriage times

And while I’m not saying that these couples don’t have marriage stress, because they do, I am saying that they simply get divorced less. They simply have a reason to stay married that’s bigger than their own happiness. They have a marriage mission.

Do you? Is your marriage facing the doldrums? Are you running out of reasons to stay committed to your spouse? Then pray for and adopt a great purpose for your marriage. Pick a cause that’s bigger than either of you. Take your eyes off of your own happiness and start looking at how the two of you can increase someone else’s. You’ll be amazed at how quickly things will change in your marriage.

I wrote an entire chapter on marriage mission in my book Pray Big for Your Marriage. To learn more, CLICK HERE.