Vice President Mike Pence and his wife, Karen, have been married for almost 32 years. That’s more than three decades of love, commitment and respect, in a society that has normalized things like divorce, multiple partners and even adultery.
Pence’s recent comment about not eating alone with women who aren’t his wife sparked outrage and major backlash, but he refused to be daunted by the mockery over his “marriage boundaries.” And now his wife is stepping up to set the record straight about where their marriage really stands—on the Rock.
In the world of politics, “scandal” tends to always have a seat at the table. So how have the second in command and his wife managed to remain faithfully in love for all of these years?
Karen says she doesn’t put Mike first.
In a recent interview with the Christian Broadcasting Network, Karen explains how God’s role in their relationship has stood the test of time and politics.
“When we first started dating, I remember saying something to Mike, something silly like ‘you’re my number one.’ And he stopped right there and said, ‘You know what, I’m probably going to disappoint you if you make me number one in your life.’
What he was talking about was, you know, you need to have God as number one. Jesus needs to be number one in your life.
He doesn’t mind being number two. He just said, ‘You know, I’m human and I’m gonna let you down.’”
And that’s all it took. Both Mike and Karen have humbled themselves in a way that allows the other to submit to God first before their spouse. For the two of them, God is the most important figure in their lives.
That’s not to say it’s simple, it’s just what we as Christians know to be true. In our humanness, we will always fail one another. But when we put God before everything else, He will direct us, and surround us with Truth and grace.
Mike and Karen have been criticized for their faith, and for the boundaries they’ve set in their personal lives to protect their marriage. No matter who tries to spin it as “scandal,” we know that their relationship is founded in Christ, and stays true to His idea of marriage.
