It’s only March, and San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy has already had quite the remarkable year.

Purdy led the Niners at Super Bowl LVIII on Feb. 11, facing off against the Kansas City Chiefs and quarterback Patrick Mahomes. After bringing his team to a 10-3 lead at halftime, the Niners were ultimately bested in overtime, with a final score of 25-22.

On Mar. 9, Purdy married Jenna Brandt – his college sweetheart – at a church in Des Moines, Iowa.

“Best day of our lives,” the now-Mrs. Purdy wrote on an Instagram post. “I get to call my best friend my HUSBAND for forever and ever!!!!”

“I love you Mrs. Purdy,” he replied.

The couple got engaged in July 2023, before the start of Purdy’s NFL season. In matching Instagram posts, the couple both referenced their faith in Jesus Christ.

“My Jenna girl forever. I can’t wait to be your husband and grow together in Christ. Here’s to forever babe. I love you JB!” Purdy wrote.

“WE GET TO DO LIFE TOGETHER…FOREVER!” she replied. “Brock Purdy – I love everything about you & your heart for Jesus more than any words can say.”

SANTA CLARA, CA – JANUARY 28: Brock Purdy #13 of the San Francisco 49ers celebrates after scoring a touchdown against the Detroit Lions during the second half of the NFC Championship football game at Levi’s Stadium on January 28, 2024 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images)

In a time when marriage rates are on the decline, Mr. and Mrs. Purdy are setting a good example of what our country needs more of, namely, young people looking to start get married, start families and have children – and to do so in a God-honoring way.

But for far too many young people, this isn’t happening. According to the Pew Research Center, a record share of 40-year-olds in the United States have never been married.

This is a deep and growing problem for many reasons, including – contrary to the claims of some popular influencers – the fact that marriage provides great benefits to both men and women.

As recounted in Linda Waite and Maggie Gallagher’s book The Case for Marriage,

Both men and women get health and earnings benefits from marriage, but men benefit more in physical health and earnings.

Both men and women are safer, more sexually satisfied, and wealthier, if married, but women benefit more on sexual satisfaction, financial well-being, and protection from domestic violence, and they benefit about equally on emotional well-being. …

In most areas of life, marriage makes both men and women better off.

For this reason, we send a hearty congratulations to the happy couple!

Marriage – as a God-designed institution that affords great benefits to both husband and wife, deepens their growth in holiness and provides for the creation of children – is truly something worth celebrating.

We wish them both many happy years of marriage.

Focus on the Family is presenting upcoming two-day Resist the Drift Marriage Conferences. Attending couples will receive Bible-based concepts and tools from our trained marriage professionals on how to reconnect and strengthen their marriages. You can learn more about the upcoming conferences.

Focus on the Family offers Hope Restored Marriage Intensives. Hope Restored is a biblically based, Christian counseling experience for couples facing a crisis moment in their marriage or suffering from years of disconnection and relationship decay. You can find out more about Hope Restored.

Related articles and resources:

Counseling Consultation & Referrals

Boundless

Hope Restored

Why Marriage Matters for Adults

Focus on the Family: Marriage

Focus on the Family: Marriage Assessment

Focus on the Family: Marriage Enrichment Events

Don’t Believe the Modern Myth. Marriage Remains Good for Men.

Don’t Believe the Modern Myth. Marriage Remains Good for Women.

New Research Shows Married Families Matter More Than Ever

Married Mothers and Fathers Are Happiest According to Gold-Standard General Social Survey

The Case for Marriage: Why Viral TikTok of 29-Year-Old Single Woman is Problematic

Photo from Getty.