Preparing for Marriage

by Bud Lambert

Have you heard the teasing remark that the reason girls go to college is to obtain their �Mrs.� degree? Although we know that�s not completely true, many people do find their mates while at college.

Wouldn�t it be nice if the storybook idea that man has an innate ability to marry and live happily ever after were true? But, in reality, 49% of couples in the United States today are choosing divorce as the solution for marital dissatisfaction. It is easy to see we are not born with the ability to have a successful marriage. Marriage is something we must prepare for.

In God�s plan for marriage, marriage is to be the joining of two people: �...the two will become one flesh� ( Matthew 19:5). Notice He says, two, not one and a half or two halves, but two whole people. An individual who feels incomplete as a person and who wants to marry in order to fill the void in his/her life and to improve their self-esteem is not prepared for marriage. They are not yet a whole person. Successful marriages are based on godly love�an unselfish love. How more selfish can you be than to marry to complete yourself or to improve your self-esteem? Marriages based on such wisdom will be hellish (cf. James 3:13-18).

Real self-esteem and wholeness are found in Jesus ( Galatians 2:20), not in marriage. One of the best ways a person can prepare for marriage is to discover who they are through Jesus. Successful marriages are where two whole individuals come together to lovingly share their lives with each other. Are you preparing yourself for marriage?

• Dynamic Marriages -Nov 27, 2005
• Honoring Your Spouse -Nov 06, 2005
• Marriage: God's Definition -Mar 22, 2005
• Why the Attack on Marriage? -Jul 18, 2004
• The Mystery of Love Revealed! -Feb 16, 2003