It's a sad fact, but many of our kids today don't want to get married.

They want everything that a good marriage provides - companionship, security, love, and intimacy - but they're afraid to actually get married. Why? Because they've observed marriages around them and have decided that marriage just doesn't work anymore.

And to a degree, they're right. In California, where I was a pastor for 12 years, three out of five marriages end in divorce, and no one knows exactly how things are going in the other two. All around our kids today marriages are struggling and failing, and the result is a generation of kids who've become disillusioned about marriage.

But I am confident that the institution of marriage is not the problem. God created marriage; He ordained it, and it is still the best possible relationship for a man and woman to enter into.

So what's the problem? Why do so many marriages fail? And what can you do to ensure that your marriage is the exception - the marriage that really works?

To explain, I'd like you to think for just a moment about automobiles. Imagine that you don't know much about cars, but you walk onto a car lot and purchase a brand-new vehicle and drive it home. At first you're thrilled with it, but after a few months it stops working.

Why? Because you failed to provide some of the basic things every car needs to operate properly. A car needs gas to keep it going and antifreeze to cool the engine. Moving parts need to be lubricated. It needs periodic tune-ups and general maintenance to keep it running smoothly, and there has to be a place to take it when it breaks down.

Fortunately, most new car owners understand those basic concepts before they even drive off the lot. But many new marriages don't begin with that same level of understanding about what's needed to make them work.

Good marriages don't just happen. Every marriage requires effort, and there are a few basic elements that every marriage - no matter how well it starts out - is going to need in order to keep going.

First, every good marriage needs commitment. Commitment is a lifelong choice of unconditional love. It's a decision to love someone forever, no matter what.

That's the gas that gets a marriage going and keeps it going. Without it, you cannot develop the vulnerability, openness, and intimacy that are integral parts of a good marriage, for there is the constant fear that tomorrow your partner will be gone.

Don't let your marriage run out of gas! Don't allow divorce to even be considered as an option. Let your spouse know often that no matter what, you will be there. And in the security of that commitment, your marriage can grow.

Second, a good marriage needs communication. Communication is the lifelong challenge of learning to understand each other. And it's not just the words you use - it's also the way you look at a person, your body language, and your tone of voice.

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