Before I begin my post, I need your help!! I still haven’t heard from a couple of my winners of last week’s Bright Side Blog Bash. If you are connected in some social media or real life way to Dawn Kelley or Heidi Blankenship, please please please let them know to contact me!
Thanks!
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I’m so not a celebrity stalker. In fact, I pretty much couldn’t care less who is going out with whom in Hollywood or who is or isn’t breaking up this week.
Mostly it’s because I give all celebrity relationships a 1% chance of making it for a lifetime.
When the divorce rate among “regular” people is over 50%, I find it hard to believe that those living in the spotlight, in the culture of madness that is Hollywood, can keep their wits about them long enough to make a real relationship work.
When the news came out that Kristen Stewart cheated on Robert Pattinson, I thought, “I’m so not surprised.” I was only surprised that they made it as long as they did. (Of course, they aren’t married. I know.)
Katy Perry divorcing Russell Brand? That’s not a shock, is it? Really?
Mel Gibson has a love child with some Russian woman? I have to admit that that one made me sad. I had always hoped that ole Mel was one of the good guys. But clearly he’s shown us just what a weirdo he is.
And what about Arnold and Maria? Married forever. One of the ones that might last. And then we find out that he, too, has a love child. One he’s been hiding for a long time. Marriage over.
Tom and Katie? If you thought that one would last, I have some beach-front property in Kansas I’d like to sell you.
Don’t even get me started on Brad Pitt. He cheats on Jennifer Anniston with Angelina Jolie and the whole world excuses it.
Sigh.
I imagine that there is added pressure when you live in the spotlight. The masses expect perfection– and they devour failure.
The public loves a good celebrity divorce because the public wants to think that they are better than celebrities.
But “the public” is not.
I saw a statistic the other day that blew my mind. Did you know that 53% of Christians would have an affair if given the opportunity?
That’s not 53% of people, folks. That’s 53% of the populous who identifies themselves as CHRISTIANS.
And like many of you, I know Christians in that 53% who have acted on that opportunity and in the process, destroyed their families. Some are repentant about it. Many aren’t.
Marriage seems to be an in-and-out status change, one that’s as easy to create or destroy as a simple click on Facebook.
But marriage is hard work. Work that most people aren’t willing to put time and energy into.
Especially those time-strapped, blinded celebrities.
So put yourself in the spotlight right now. Imagine someone is waiting for you in the bushes outside, trying to snap photos of you and your spouse.
Will those paparazzi get the shots they most want– the photos of a failing marriage? Shots of you fighting? Photos of you passing in silence? Photos of you living two separate lives within one marriage? Photos of you making everything in your life more important than your spouse? How about photos of your children caught in the middle of a dying family?
Or will they get the shots they can’t sell– the ones of a couple who makes time for one another? The photos of a couple who puts Christ in the center of their marriage and family? Pictures of an imperfect couple making it work, one day at a time by focusing on what’s good in their lives, instead of what’s bad?
What photos will those paparazzi get of you today?
Share with me: Do you have a favorite celebrity couple?
Hale and Hearty Words 
Oooh, what a good question and way to look at things!! No fave here. Like you, I don’t really put hope in their marriages. I WAS surprised about the gossip about John Travolta though. Very sad.
Yikes! That stat is crazy! My WIP actually deals with the issue of celebrity marriages and love that lasts a lifetime.
A celebrity couple is a bit of an oxymoron really. Shifting sands. Terribly sad.
I can’t conceive of myself ever being in the 53%. It’s just not me.
I guess I”m of the “older” generation now (50-somethings), but I’ve long admired Robert Redford and Paul Newman for their enduring marriages despite celebrity status. And I agree – that stat is shocking! As for me, 33 years and going strong. No wishes on either side to be in the 53%.
Us working our behinds off to make it a loving, lasting marriage & yes, it takes work. But we’re willing to put it in b/c we’ve gotten so much out of it.
~ Wendy
More than likely, they’ll get photos of us laughing. We do that a lot at our house. Loved this post, Jenny!
Good post, Jen. Always good to think about how marriage takes work! That encourages me to make time for my husband. We both tend to be workaholics a bit, so it’s a struggle at times, but so worth it when we do.
One word (title): “Courageous”
I think the photographer would see me hanging out with my best friend, keeping things low-key, because that’s what our home-life is like. After almost 23 years of marriage, I still have a crush on my best friend husband.
I am hard-pressed to think of a celebrity couple that I admire. Thanks for the reminder that none of us are immune to temptation in our marriages. By the way, I’m Heidi Blankenship and I just sent you an email about claiming my prizes. Hooray! Totally made my day.
Good post Jenny,
To be honest, I look more to my married friends than I do celebs for an example because I know that with my friends, all their marriages are Christ-Centered and family oriented. Hollywood couples for the most part are illusions only there for entertainment. And paparazzi and most journalists live by the motto “if it bleeds, it leads” when it comes to how they report news. So couples who have beat the odds aren’t mentioned at all, but the train wrecks are. Having said that, there are some famous couples that I have noticed beat the odds on short term Hollywood marriages. And in each case they maintain a sense of privacy about their lives.
1. Stephen Curtis and Mary Beth Chapman: One of my favorite things about SCC is how he includes his life in his music, and the love for his wife is no exception. In “I Will Be Here” he states clearly that he meant what he said when he said “till death do us part”. And even in the midst of grief, they cleaved to their Lord and to each other.
2. Brian and Leighanne Littrell: I’ve been a fan of Brian as a Backstreet Boy for almost 14 years, but I have so much respect for him as a husband and father. During their courtship they went to church together, and faith is a cornerstone of their marriage to this day. So much so, that when asked on their last cruise who would his “Hall Pass” (the woman he would choose to have an affair with if he could) and he said “I don’t have one because I’m happy at home. (Also, it was Leighanne who finally settled in his mind to have the heart surgery that saved his life. She refused to marry him until he had it after pushing it back twice)
3. Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne: “In sickness and in Health”, “for better or worse”, they’ve lived it. His DECADES of substance abuse, her cancer scare. And 30 years later, they’re still together
4. Iman and David Bowie: An odd choice, but despite their differences, they’ve made their interracial marriage work for 20 years.
(Honorable Mentions: Jay-Z and Beyonce, Will and Jada, and President and First Lady Obama)
i like that old kevin bacon an kyra sedgwick have been together forever. they have to be, like, the only hollywood couple, right?
my take on marriage is so different, i guess….my husband and i just had this talk about a week ago….we don’t think we have to work very hard at our marriage. i’m not trying to be contrary, but we just both feel that we chose God’s very best for us. i certainly don’t look at being married as a job. there’s no toiling going on. did we just choose well? we have to believe that there are other people out there who feel the way we do!
this might make a good post…..
we need to skype. asap.