Success in marriage depends on the couple committing themselves to the institution of marriage more so than to the individual they are marrying.
Marriage is steady.
The institution of marriage does not change.
However, the 2 people entering the marriage are the ones who change as they grow and mature and have different experiences in life.
Respect for the institution of marriage can give couples the foothold they need to weather the storms of change in their relationship; which can also encourage them during times of conflict to seek alternatives to ending their marriage.
Marriage is honorable.
Meaning, 'highly respected, highly esteemed, valuable, precious...
'It should be held in high honor at all times.
While the individuals in a marriage are not loveable at all times because they are humans, holding marriage in high esteem will carry them over those bumpy times when one or the other is unlovable or difficult to honor.
For example: Let's say Dave at age 24, (young, handsome, good paying job) meets Mary at age 22 (pretty, slim, great paying job) and they fell in love.
After dating for 2 years, Dave asks Mary to marry him.
Mary gladly accepts the proposal and begins to plan their wedding.
Fast forward 20 years, when Dave have lost his high paying job, his hair line starts to recede and he has gained 5 inches on his waist from years of working behind a computer at a desk; and Mary has had 3 children and is no longer as slim as she used to be and is now a stay at home mom and no longer has her high paying job.
Do we pack up and leave because things have changed? The point I am making is this.
The person we marry is not the person we will live with because that person is changing all the time.
None of us are the same person we were 10 years ago.
We have all changed in many ways and continue to change every day.
Because we are all constantly changing, if we trust solely in each other's current status and position to keep our marriage, we are in serious trouble.
No matter how much we love each other, love alone may not be enough to sustain us in the long run.
Respect and esteeming the honorability of marriage as an unchanging institution will help to bring stability to our ever changing relationship.