So many people are no longer wearing their wedding rings yet they remain married. Others wear it depending on where they are going or who they are meeting.
Few people are doing this on health grounds. In fact, for many others, the reasons are as trivial as not feeling comfortable about wearing them. Although they claim the quality of their marriages cannot be faulted.
Unfortunately, the absence of the ring puts the married person in a controversial position.
For instance, great debates have arisen in the minds of people concerning the marriage status of their colleagues since they neither wear their rings nor ever talk about their families. But actually those colleagues in contention have been married for years and with kids.
What is common knowledge is that society treats the married person differently. Some may not befriend the married person or limit the nature of their relationship with a married person out of deference to the partners of the married person.
Society is even measured in the kind of jokes one shares of and with a married person. You can’t touch the wrong places or be with a married person at the wrong places.
It is illegal and immoral to have sexual knowledge with a married person or do as much as view their naked members without the backing of the law (unless for instance it is a doctor patient relationship).
Even more, society expects married people to talk, dress and publicly conduct themselves much decently than those who are not. In fact, in some employment settings, people earn decent positions and extra income because they are married as they are assumed to be much more responsible and measured.
In fact the married person becomes a default arbitrator in most conflict situations in our community as their counseling is preferred to that of the single person as it is deemed their marriage experience have sobered and matured them to give considered opinion.
In all the above scenarios it is the marriage band (rings) which tells even the casual observer of our marital status. It protects the marriage from encroachment and releases us to favorable situations preserved for the married in society.
Even more, it remains a reminder to the world and us of how proud we are of our marriages.
While non-wearing of the ring, ordinarily may not be prejudicial to the quality of one’s marriage, it looks unreasonable and very unexplainable that a person without hidden motives and truly proud of their marriage will not brandish it around every wherever they go.
To the married, the wedding ring is a constant reminder especially, when we are far away from our partners that we are married and not of our own and that, we belong to our spouses. So wherever we are, even far away from our partners, we have them as close as the ring on our hands. We cannot therefore assume to be alone and do what we wish. No. We are not alone when we go to bed with another person. The ring literally sees us. When we misconduct ourselves and put up behaviors we will otherwise not do in front of our partners, the ring sees it.
Whenever you playfully touch the ring remember your partner is as close by and you will honour them by putting up behaviors appropriate to your marriage vows.
I should add, there is a reason why the marriage ring is made of a precious stone like gold.
Perhaps, marriage is golden and those who have it must treat it as such. As gold endures even the fire and comes out brighter, you are prepared to carry your marriage everywhere even in the fire and not be ashamed but make it glorious.
This should be a bigger reason to put your ring back on than the reasons you have removed them. If your marriage is having problems seek godly counseling. Removing the rings will only complicate it. Where it does not, it will make others question your motive. Unfortunately, you may not have the opportunity to explain.
Akyena Brantuo Benjamin|ahotoronline.com|Ghana
