The following are quotes from various resources on the question of whether “she or he is truly the one” you are supposed to marry (not for those wondering IF they should have married someone). Because marriage is designed by God to be for a lifetime, you need to be prayerful and careful in choosing the right person to be your covenant partner for life. We pray these quotes will help with that mission:
• Take an HONEST Look. Marriage is not a sit-com; it is not a movie or a novel or a pop song. It involves real life and real people. If you are considering marriage to a person who is clearly not mature, that is exhibiting childish traits that create uproar and concern, please don’t look the other way! Simply being “in love” and having a great time together is not a sufficient resume for marriage. Marriage is a serious step, a lifetime commitment under God and cannot be entered into lightly. Don’t rush. Take a good, hard, honest look at your own readiness and the readiness of your potential mate before making a final decision. (Byron and Carla Weathersbee)
• Too many couples fall in love, but they don’t realize that falling in love and getting married are two different steps. It’s not too difficult to fall in love with someone. But that doesn’t mean that you should spend the rest of your lives married to each other. You may have “loved” each other through a certain season of your lives, but this relationship may not be one that would last through the rest of the seasons of your lives. Marriage is something you commit to because you’re both equally committed to each other and to the Lord who wants to bless your union, helping it to be one that reflects God’s agape love.
If either of you don’t feel like you can commit to living together for the rest of your lives in commitment to your marital union, doing things God’s way —then it would be best to either put the wedding on hold until you’re both committed to do so, or let the relationship go and move on with your lives apart from each other. The time to do this is BEFORE the wedding –NOT afterward. (Cindy Wright)
• Would you marry you? If you need to get your act together, do it before you get engaged. You will be better off, and one day, if you end up getting married, your marriage will reap the benefit of the relational health you bring into it. (David Gudgel, from the book, “Before You Get Engaged”)
• Psychologist Neil Warren has said that couples who marry around age 20 have an 80 to 85 percent chance of divorcing. He believes the correlation an older age and fewer divorces is connected to a person’s identity development. He writes (in the book, “Finding the Love of Your Life”):
“The theory goes like this: Young people can’t select a marriage partner very effectively if they don’t know themselves well. In this society, where adolescence often lasts until the middle 20s, identify formation is incomplete until individuals have emotionally separated from their parents and discovered the details of their own uniqueness. Prior to their mid-20s, young adults haven’t defined their goals and needs. They aren’t in a good position to know the kind of person with whom they could form a meaningful lifetime attachment. They simply need more life experience.”
As a general rule, marriage and family counselors have found that the older you are, the more likely you are to have developed healthy traits that will build a healthy marriage. That’s why what we already talked about in chapter one is so important. Be the right person before you start thinking about marrying the right person. (David Gudgel, from the book, “Before You Get Engaged”)
• Get yourself healthy before you get yourself married. Too often we bring our unexamined selves into our marriage relationship. Also, have a cultivating commitment to have a quality relationship with each other in your marriage. (Neil Clark Warren)
• You’ll never know everything about the person you’ve chosen to marry. But the more information you have before entering into this commitment, the less chance you will be confronted with unfulfillable expectations. (From the book, “Getting Ready for Marriage Workbook… How to really get to know the person you’re going to marry” – by Jerry Hardin and Dianne Sloan)
• Before you get engaged, I’d strongly suggest you consult with those who know you and your dating relationship best. Usually this means your family and friends. Find an appropriate time to sit down with them and share what you’re thinking. Open up your heart and say something like, “Katie and I are at a place in our relationship where we are thinking about getting engaged. Since you know us best, I’d like to know what you think. From what you know about us and our relationship, do you think we should get married?” I think asking your family or friends a question like that is one of the wisest things you can do. (David Gudgel, from the book, “Before You Get Engaged”)
• Keep the following two biblical principles in mind. First, you need others’ input. Those who don’t get wise input aren’t as wise as they think they are. As Isaiah said, “Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes and clever in their own sight.” Humble yourself, restrain your pride, and open your heart and ears to what the significant others in your life are saying and thinking.
Second, you need to carefully weigh others’ input before you act. What you hear may or may not be right for you. Remember these words: “A simple man believes anything, but a prudent man gives thought to his steps.” Before you jump in, hook, line, and sinker, carefully check out the validity of what you’ve been told. (David Gudgel, from the book “Before You Get Engaged”)
• If you’re single, and you want to know who to marry, run as hard and as fast toward Jesus as you can and if, out of the corner of your eye, you see somebody running in the same direction, take a second look. (Pastor Tommy Nelson)
• Q: I’m a young woman and I met a young man recently where I work. He asked me out and he’s proposing a relationship. I like him a lot but when I ask him about his faith, he told me that though he is a Christian, he does not bring his faith into the relationship. I decided I couldn’t have a relationship with such person. Am I too hasty in my decision?
A: I believe you have made a wise choice. While it’s good to ask someone “Are you a Christian?” before you begin dating, it’s better to ask, “Are you a follower of Jesus?” They may sound the same, but there’s a huge difference. Someone may say they’re a Christian because they were confirmed when they were 12 or grew up in a Christian home. When you ask if they’re a follower of Jesus, then you’re asking whether or not they read their Bible, pray regularly and are growing in their relationship with God.
If a person just says they’re a Christian, you can make a lot of assumptions that may or may not be true. Before you begin dating, find out about the persons character. Remember that character will also manifest itself in self-control. How does the person respond to frustration and disappointment? Does the person treat you with respect—verbally, spiritually and physically? Do they know their own boundaries? All of this is linked to one’s faith. You don’t want to date someone who claims Christianity, but has no desire to grow in their relationship with the Lord. That is a road you don’t want to go down. (Gary Smalley: Question of the Week)
• Just because a man calls himself a Christian doesn’t mean a thing about his spiritual condition. Hitler probably professed to be a nice guy. What really shows a man’s faith is action —not trying to get you into bed until you are both wearing a ring; initiating his own personal relationship with God and encouraging yours as well; and especially holding his feelings back in the relationship to allow God to lead. God’s choice of a mate for you is going to be a godly man, and if you listen, God will tell you through an active prayer life and the counsel of other godly influences whether this is the one He has picked out for you. (Julie Ferwerda, from Crosswalk.com article “9 Lies Women Tell Themselves About Men“)
• Many will instruct you just to “follow your heart.” This advice can lead to a heartbreaking situation. One emotional student was heard to exclaim, “I know I’ve met the right girl … I can’t sleep, I can’t eat, and I’m flunking all my tests!” Sounds like a case of the flu to me. Let me suggest, instead of asking, “Am I in love?” ask, “Is my love mature enough to produce a fulfilled love, marriage, and sex relationship?” I prefer to evaluate love in terms of maturity because I believe we are always “in love.” Puppy love is a kind of love, but it differs greatly in degree and intensity from mature love. The problem with puppy love is that if you stick with it, you’ll end up leading a dog’s life. Puppy love is certainly real, and it deserves the same respect given to the other feelings people may have throughout their lives.
When a child comes home and declares, “I’m in love,” he or she shouldn’t be ridiculed. Adolescent feelings of love are equally genuine and wonderful. They are very real to the young person feeling them and they shouldn’t be taken lightly. Thus, again, the issue isn’t whether or not you are in love. The real question remains, “Is my love mature enough to lead to a commitment and a lasting relationship? (Josh McDowell, “The Secret of Loving,”)
• Regardless of your level of compatibility, conflict in marriage is inevitable. One of the most important things you need to know is whether your partner can stand the heat. Will s/he be willing to get help when the going gets tough? Is s/he willing to take a marriage education class to learn the necessary skills to get and keep your marriage on track or back on track? Would s/he be willing to go to a qualified marriage counselor or speak to your pastor or rabbi? And if you’re going to talk, talk about the taboo, x-rated subjects.
Discuss infidelity, infertility, aging parents, job layoffs, unexpected illnesses or deaths. Talk about the hard stuff. Does your partner know that over two thirds of what couples argue about in marriage is unresolvable? Does s/he know the predictable transitional stages that ALL marriages go through regardless of how much couples love each other? Does your mate know that while marriage is still one of the greatest institutions on earth, it’s not for the faint of heart? In fact, it’s [extremely] hard work!
And since it only takes one person to end a marriage, you might want to ask your partner, “Under what circumstances would you feel that our marriage would be over?” I know this question isn’t pretty or romantic, far from it, but since most divorces are unilateral decisions, it might help to know what might prompt your spouse to call it quits. It could be a deal breaker.
So, here’s the bottom line from the Divorce Buster. Don’t place too much weight on those compatibility quizzes. Be more impressed with your partner’s level of commitment. With the right attitude and adequate set of relationship skills, even the quirkiest of personality differences or opposing life goals can be worked through. Know your prospective partner’s willingness to stay the course even when love isn’t easy. (Michele Weiner Davis, as posted on her web site, Divorcebusting.com, in an article titled, “What to Ask Before Tying the Knot”)
• WOMEN — BEWARE: If a man has glaring character defects, it is likely that he is not teachable. Teachability is the number one character trait you should look for in a potential mate. I am not talking about normal struggles or mistakes, but habit pattern sins or dysfunctions that control their lives and that they are not open and contrite about. If a man is teachable, he will humbly listen to God and to his future wife when making decisions. He will be willing to work at his future marriage. (Julie Ferwerda, from Crosswalk.com article “9 Lies Women Tell Themselves About Men“)
• MEN — [BEWARE: OF THE LIE OF THE LIE YOU CAN TELL YOURSELF]: She’s clingy, but I like to be needed. She’ll settle down once we’re married. Truth: According to studies, men thrive on being needed, but this can backfire because many women out there are desperate to get married for the wrong reasons. A woman with “emotional gaps” will put expectations on you that you’ll never live up to, no matter how much time, love, or words of encouragement you give her, because she has mistaken you as the answer to her longings. After the wedding, you’ll disappoint her because you can’t do or be enough, and she may turn to other things for comfort —food, other men, alcohol, or shopping, to name a few. Depending on you occasionally for emotional support, or to help with certain things (like changing her oil or mowing her lawn) are great, but when it comes to emotional neediness, it’s a red flag and it’s not going to get better until she gets help. (Julie Ferwerda, from Crosswalk.com article “9 Lies Men Tell Themselves About Women“)
• There’s an old saying, “Marriage is a school in which the pupil learns too late.” If we aren’t ready for marriage or if we choose a poor marriage partner, this can be very true. Yet for most people, it doesn’t have to be. To be sure that it isn’t, we need to do three things. First, we need to be prepared to be a reasonably mature, emotionally healthy, and spiritually committed spouse. Second, we need to select a mate who is ready to be a reasonably mature, emotionally healthy, and spiritually committed spouse. And third, we need to be willing to face our needs to grow and become better people and well-adjusted marriage partners. (Dr. Clyde Narramore, from the article: A Pre-Marriage Checklist)
• There were some details about living with an unbeliever that seemed insignificant to me at first but gained importance as my own faith grew. Of all the things I miss out on with my husband at a spiritual level, his prayers for me are what I miss the most. Here is the person who knows me best, who knows my likes, dislikes, dreams, desires, failings and struggles, and he isn’t praying for me. This puts me in the position of having to tell others my personal prayer needs and, in some cases, I may not even realize I have a need. My husband may know something isn’t right, yet …he isn’t praying for me. This is certainly something to consider carefully as you choose a spouse. Will he pray for you? (Testimony of an annonymous homemaker who has the web site Child of Light.org)
• One of the chief reasons so many marriages fail is that the functions of a date and mate differ radically: that of a date is to be charming; that of a mate is to be responsible; and, unfortunately, the most charming individuals are not necessarily the most responsible, while the most responsible are just as often deficient in charm. (Sydney Harris)
• I came up with a basic question that is helping me figure out whether I’m really finished with looking for someone better: When I see a woman I am physically or emotionally attracted to, what do I do? Do I entertain the thought of being with her, or do I react as if my heart is already taken?
It gets harder when I take into account that once I’m married, I am supposed to answer this question the same way, even when things are rocky. Even when things haven’t been going well or we’re just not clicking that week. Am I willing to say that even then it won’t matter if the girl at the coffee shop looks like a better option? There will be no other option. By choosing to get married, I am choosing to stop looking. (Brent Gudgel, from the book, “Before You Get Engaged”)
• Do opposites attract? Yes, they do. The problem with that is, is that opposites ATTRACT. What will drive you crazy about your mate are the things that attracted you to them at the outset, and you have been careful of that. I’ll make this statement: to the degree that you and your future mate are socially opposite, you had better balance it out with an equal amount of flexibility and holiness. Couples that are real, real close in everything that they like, if they don’t watch it, they can get bored in life because it’s easy just to go together.
If you’re really at a disparity, that’s okay. But if you’ve got 30 pounds of difference, there had better be 30 pounds of flexibility. If you’ve got 100 pounds of difference with you and your mate, there had better be 100 pounds of holiness and godliness with each other. You’ve got to be able to enjoy the same things. (Tommy Nelson, from Family Life Today broadcast: Unity – Part 2 of 2)
• If a couple find out before marriage how flimsy the basis of their love is, they are fortunate. (Marriage specialist Sylvanus Duvall, Before You Marry)
• When couples fall in love they typically experience great passion for one another. This initial “Infatuation Stage” leads most couples into believing they have found their true soul mates. But once old behaviors and patterns show up with time, many couples lose the excitement and connection that once fueled their passion. Unfortunately many couples mistake that early infatuation with true love and give up on the relationship. (Pat Love, who defines this stage in her book, The Truth about Love)
• All relationships go through predictable patterns —the four up-and-down stages of love: Infatuation, Post-Rapture, Discovery, and Connection. Physiological changes account for some of the intense feelings brought on by initial attraction. Phenylethylamine, Dopamine, and Norpinephrine, for example, combine to create the natural high new lovers feel that helps them bond. This heady infatuation stage, glorious as it may be, is not what love is really about. (Pat Love, The Truth About Love: The Highs, the Lows, and How You Can Make It Last Forever)
• Reasons to slow things down when you’re still in the infatuation stage of love: When attraction, or romantic passion, occurs, we often lose our ability to think rationally. We may be oblivious to flaws our partner might possess. In this stage, couples spend many hours getting to know each other. If this attraction remains strong and is felt by both, the people usually enter the third stage of love: attachment. Attachment, or commitment, has to be strong enough to withstand problems and distractions. Again, chemicals are involved: Playing a key role in the attachment stage of love are oxytocin, vasopressin and endorphins.
A lot of chemicals surge through your brain and body when you’re in love. Estrogen and testosterone play roles in the sex drive. Without them, we might never venture into the “real love” arena. That initial giddiness that comes when we’re first falling in love includes a racing heart, flushed skin and sweaty palms. Researchers say these are caused by the dopamine and norepinephrine our bodies are releasing: • Dopamine is thought to be the “pleasure chemical,” producing a feeling of bliss. It is associated with euphoria, craving and addiction. • Norepinephrine is similar to adrenaline and produces the racing heart and excitement. It heightens attention, short-term memory, hyperactivity and sleeplessness. Together, it is believed, these chemicals produce elation, intense energy, craving, loss of appetite and focused attention.
Researchers have also discovered that people in love have lower levels of serotonin, and also that neural circuits associated with the way we assess others are suppressed —possibly explaining why those in love “obsess” about their partner. …The feelings of passionate love, however, do lose their strength over time. Studies have shown that passionate love fades quickly and is nearly gone after two or three years. This results in your being able to see your lover rationally, rather than through the blinding hormones of infatuation and passion. (St. Petersburg Times, What is this Thing Called Love)
• The Bible gives us one very specific standard for finding the right marriage partner: “Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers” (2 Corinthians 6:14). Why is this so important to God? The reason is this: The believer and the unbeliever do not share the same values and future hope (2 Corinthians 6:14-15). However, Christians are to be like-minded about important issues; if two Christians are committed to their marriage and to obeying Christ, they already possess the ingredients for success. Unfortunately, the world we live in is inundated with many different kinds of professing “Christians,” so it is important to use discernment before devoting yourself to the lifelong commitment of marriage. Spend a sufficient amount of time together before discussing marriage.
We suggest experiencing all “the seasons” of life together before committing for life. Watch how your potential partner reacts to different situations, how they behave around family and friends, and the people they associate with. Discuss issues such as morality, values, children and church affiliation; are you in agreement in these areas? Study God’s Word together, especially the roles and duties of a husband and wife found in Ephesians 5:22-31; 1 Corinthians 7:1-16; Colossians 3:18-19; Titus 2:1-5; and 1 Peter 3:1-7; are there any red flags or major doctrinal disagreements? Finally, we recommend premarital counseling for all engaged couples. (Bill and Bridget Dunk, GTO Ministries, Marriages.net)
• Don’t stop with the question, “Is this person a Christian?” You need to ask a much deeper question than that: “Is this person I am thinking about marrying displaying the character and mind of Christ?” I would look deep into the character of the individual. Make sure he or she loves the Lord with all of their heart, soul, mind and strength. And look for the “markers” that are displaying that love in their lives. (From the web site for the ministry of Dr Gary Smalley)
• Do not be quick with your mouth, do not be hasty in your heart to utter anything before God. God is in heaven and you are on earth, so let your words be few. As a dream comes when there are many cares, so the speech of a fool when there are many words. When you make a vow to God, do not delay in fulfilling it. He has no pleasure in fools; fulfill your vow. It is better not to vow than to make a vow and not fulfill it. Do not let your mouth lead you into sin. And do not protest to the temple messenger, “My vow was a mistake.” Why should God be angry at what you say and destroy the work of your hands? Much dreaming and many words are meaningless. Therefore stand in awe of God. (Ecclesiastes 5:2-7)
• If either person isn’t 100% committed to scale every mountain that comes before you to make your relationship work then you aren’t ready to enter into it. That’s part of the reason the divorce rate is so high. People are entering into the commitment they’re making without having the strength of character, fortitude, and resolve to keep the promises they’re making to each other and also to God. God cares VERY MUCH that we keep our marital promises —He enters into the marriage with you whenever you marry so your promises aren’t only to each other but also to Him. (Cindy Wright)
• Read this with care, as it could encourage you to make the right decisions! PLEASE DO NOT MARRY IF: (1) You are unwilling to put the needs of another person above your own. (2) You are easily offended, carry grudges and are unwilling to forgive. (3) You are an abusive person (Mentally, emotionally and physically). (4) You are unwilling to commit. (5) You have an unresolved addiction problem. (6) Your career is the most important thing in your life. (7) You do not share the same beliefs, values, life priorities or vision. (8) You are unwilling to be an active partner sexually with your spouse.
(9) You are unwilling to agree on an approach for handling finances, children and life decisions. (10) You expect your spouse to change after you get married. Remember, successful marriages are not of perfection, rather of two people willing to grow closer to Christ and each other. Don’t be discouraged if you struggle with any of the above reasons, but before you get married, do yourself and your future spouse a favor by first committing to grow stronger in each area. (Dr Randy Carlson, Theintentionallife.com, a Marriage E-mentoring tip)
• “Wedding jitters” can strike even the happiest couples. Any change, even a positive one, takes some adjustment. But you need to make sure you are just nervous about the wedding and not whether you have chosen the right person to marry. Don’t let the momentum of party planning sweep you along. You must have the courage to work through differences or, if you cannot, to break off the engagement or even call off the wedding —no matter how far you have progressed with the preparations. However hard or embarrassing it might seem at that time, it is nothing compared to the pain of marrying the wrong person. (Lilo and Gerard Leeds, from the book, “Wonderful Marriage”)
• If you have doubts —don’t do it. The Bible says that if you’re thinking about doing something about which you have doubts, don’t do it. Your doubts may be God’s warning signal to protect you from making a big mistake. Back off. Take some time. Rethink what you’re about to do. A doubt may be God’s way of keeping you, or someone you care about, out of harm’s way and the inevitable hurtful consequences that could come. (David Gudgel, from the book, “”Before You Get Engaged”)
• You must have the strength to be willing to end the engagement if you do not believe that marriage is the appropriate step. There is a reason that we do not go straight from the proposal to the wedding chapel. The engagement period is not just for planning the event; it is also for thinking through what it means to be married and, specifically, what it means to be married to this individual. Now, sometimes you might have the strength to call off the marriage, but you’re worried about the fallout with your family. Please don’t be. This is one of the most important decisions in your life, and you cannot allow your worry about hurt feelings to cause you to make a terrible mistake. A few minutes or days of embarrassment and hurt feelings are far easier to handle than months or years of a troubled marriage. (Kay Coles James, What I Wish I’d Known before I Got Married)
• You will make your heaven or hell on earth by the person you decide to marry. (Ravi Zacarius)
• I wonder how many marriages would fare better today if each one in the relationship paused to consider this question: How do I really know that this person will seek my happiness above his/her own? (Todd Outcalt, Before You Say “I Do”)
• FOR THOSE CONSIDERING MARRIAGE: There has to be a theological unity. You and your future husband, you and your future wife, have to be on the same page on who God is, because He is your reference point for how you act, for how you perceive the universe, for how you perceive man, children, everything is your perception of God. They don’t simply have to be a Christian, but they have to line up on the major particulars. If you are an evangelical, and you see it in a certain way, and you marry a charismatic, you’re going to have some struggles, but major league, if you marry a non-believer, you don’t even interpret the universe the same —in marriage or morality.
…There’s not a one of you, under the heat of longing for marriage that can set aside what you know to be true and marry a non-believer. I can give you names, events, and dates where I’ve seen it happen. Being single and being alone is a struggle. …It’s tough to be single, to be lonely. I’ll tell you what’s tougher is to be married and be lonely. To be lonely in a king-size bed with a person there that you cannot relate to is a major issue. When you are single, there is light at the end of your tunnel but it’s the providence and the timing of God. (Tommy Nelson, from Family Life Today broadcast: Essentials – Part 1 of 2)
• On marrying someone who is theologically different than you: You’re not in danger of what the Scripture calls being “unequally yoked” (2 Corinthians 6:14), since that passage is clearly about a joining of “righteousness with lawlessness… light to darkness… Christ to Belial.” You are both godly people trusting in the blood of Christ and received by faith into the kingdom of God through the Holy Spirit. But, just because you can, morally, marry is no sign that you, wisely, should. (Russell Moore, Crosswalk.com article, Should We Marry If We’re Theologically Divided?)
• FOR THOSE CONSIDERING MARRIAGE: There has to be a moral unity, meaning that they can’t merely both be Christians. They both must be under the auspices of the Lordship of Jesus Christ. If you have a man that takes his dictums from his flesh —even though he can recite the Gospel and give the time of his testimony, we’ve got a problem. There has to be a moral unity, a North Star that doesn’t move. …My wife and I made a vow that we’d never spend a day out of the Bible before we got married, because we knew that what attracted us to us was character, and that character was because of the person of God and His Word. And if we got away from Him, we lost essentially what attracted us. (Tommy Nelson, from Familylife.com broadcast: Essentials -Part 1 of 2)
• Women: Some men can never be husbands until they have been brides, until they have been the bride of Christ, they can’t be your husband or any woman’s husband. Because the qualities that you want in a man are going to be qualities of love, kindness, tenderness, gentleness, and honesty —those are qualities that are in God visited upon men. If that man is superficial with God, you have no guarantee that that man is going to maintain those qualities.
And there are some men who can simply never, ever be married. They can have dogs and cats, but they can’t have a human in that house with them because when a man isn’t submitted to the Lordship of Christ, he can become irresponsible or abusive, and both of those will drive you crazy. And so you check that man for his faithfulness in church, his faithfulness in the Bible, his faithfulness to his mother and his father, his commitment to moral purity. Look for those things in him, because that’s the North Star that gives you a reasonable assurance of his character. That’s the fountain out of which will grow your affection is the continuity of that character.
Men: Watch that girl. If that girl has a problem with her authority of her parents, if she has a problem with her teachers, why do you think you’ll put [a wedding ring] on, and she’ll look to you and say, “My head and my sovereign.” Do you really think that will happen? Don’t you do it! There are some women who can never, ever be married because of that very thing. And whenever you get a man, whenever you get a woman that is resistant to Genesis, chapter 1 —who God is —you can’t have Genesis, chapter 2 —marriage. First, Adam sees God; first, Eve sees God; THEN they see each other —Amen? (Tommy Nelson, from FamilyLife.com broadcast: Essentials -Part 1 of 2)
• When you’re ready to pledge to love and serve the person you’re marrying as Christ washed the feet of His disciples, then you’re ready for marriage. The problem comes into our married lives when we marry out of “neediness.” We aren’t to marry out of neediness, but to serve one another and work to bring out the best in each other so that together you serve Christ in a manner that could never happen apart from the manner in which you complete one another in Christ. (Cindy Wright)
• People think they have to find their soulmate to have a good marriage. You’re not going to “find” your soulmate. Anyone you meet already has soulmates —their mother, their father, and their lifelong friends. You get married, and after 20 years of loving, bearing and raising kids, and meeting challenges —then you’ll have “created” your soulmate. (Diane Sollee, smartmarriages.com)
• When marrying, ask yourself this question: Do you believe that you’ll be able to converse well with this person into your old age? Everything else in marriage is transitory. (Friedrich Nietzsche)
• You know you love each other. But is love enough? You have grown up in distinctly different families. You have your own thoughts and feelings about marriage, children, religion, sex, work and careers, and money management. Each of you has priorities and expectations about the way people should conduct themselves in marriage. But have you openly discussed and evaluated your priorities and expectations? Unexpressed expectations are the seeds of trouble and conflict. One of the first questions we ask couples in our premarital workshops is, “What do you think is the most important ingredient to have in a good marriage?” (From the book, “Getting Ready for Marriage Workbook” – by Jerry Hardin and Dianne Sloan)
• If you determine together to marry because you sense the anointing of the Lord upon your relationship(knowing you aren’t breaking God’s principles — like not marrying someone who isn’t a Believer), and you persevere with the Lord’s continual guidance, know that marriage can be very, very good. I want that for you. I want that for everyone who marries. But be cautious. The apostle Paul approached the subject of marriage the same way. He said in 1 Corinthians 7:25, “Those who marry will face many troubles in this life, and I want to spare you this.“ That is my heart also.
I LOVE being married to my husband but I caution everyone who marries to know that it won’t be easy to combine your lives together —to approach life as a marital team —no matter what it looks like now —life together will change and reshape itself. You will have to make a lot of sacrifices to make your marriage into a good one. Please pray, prepare, and proceed very reverently and cautiously into marriage. (Cindy Wright)
(ZIMBABWE) I was once involved in a relationship that never worked even after we had two children. My husband and I were both Catholics, but he used to tell me he did not love me and all the time he got angry. He would throw away my clothes or cut them. I married him just three months after his divorce from his first wife but I had no affair with him before. He would beat me.
But thanks to your advice, I am now seeing someone, and I understand I have to know him well. We both are Pentecostals. He is a pastor and has a career too. I love him, he loves me. For a year, we have been dating but we never had serious fights and we see each other daily. He is a divorcee too. What best advice would you give to us coz we are arranging to get married?
(U.S.) WAS HE A PASTOR BEFORE GETTING DIVORCED?
(NIGERIA) I have been in a relationship for five years, a relationship we all thought will end in marriage. We have even started premarital classes, but as I write this, we both are not sure any more. She wants to call it off, and honestly, I strongly agree.
(U.S.) Then do it!!!
(E. AFRICA) This is very important lesson for those about to get married. I have been married for 10 yrs now but live a lonely life. We honestly skipped the whole process of marriage. We never discussed nor offered each other marriage but found ourselves married. Our values, priorities and biblical understanding is very different. What I term to be sin is what she terms to be right. She defends evil and this makes me doubt and fail to trust her. The relationship is a mess. Her first priority is career satisfaction while mine is maintaining a close family and a home. Please seek guidance before marriage.
(NIGERIA) Sometimes as Christians we think we fully know things. How I wish I knew about this site before my engagement. My fiance’s spiritual life bothers me a lot because he is a Christian but he does not show it in his fruits like with his words. I am a minister in my church and know what I want in my home and marriage. I would prefer not to be married than to get married and fall back to where I was before. I’ve called a break in this relationship, have opened up to my spiritual head and will do whatever the Spirit of God asks me to do. Time of compromise in my life is passed. I am standing on a sure foundation now.
(U.S) Amen, I am with you Sister!!! Stand up and be firm in the truth no matter the cost!! Trust the Lord. You won’t regret it.
(US) This website has brought me much peace! Thank you Jesus!
(PNG) Very essential information for youths… I have 3 children and live in a very tense relationship… dealing with pornography, uncomitted, abusive and disrespectful husband. I wish I had taken my time. Since we are not married, I do understand a lot of what you guys have shared. I am making plans of moving on but now a vey well informed person. It will take a very long time before I find someone else… however first I need transform myself into a loving wife to be.
(USA) I have been dating a girl for several months. I have found myself falling in love with her. She has just told me that she has had sex before with someone she loved and was dating and once with a friend. I have not had sex, which I know is very unusual for a man of 23. I can not get this out of my mind. She said for the last two years she has tried to be a better Christian. She is such a good person and I do love her but I can’t seem to get over this. What should I do?
(USA) I’ve thought about the same issue Cole. I’m also a virgin of 29 years, and have dated girls that I’ve considered / wanted to marry that were not virgins. Each situation is unique, and I don’t think it’s a simple “Yes” or “No” answer. I think that more information is needed to really evaluate the situation. For me, I would need to know, how long ago did it happen? 3 months ago is different than years in the past.
Do you sense there was a true repentance afterwards (and what shows or demonstrates this repentance?), or does she justify it saying “we were in love and it just felt right,” or “we were going to get married any so we thought it was OK.” Responses like that don’t just point to one or two slip ups, but possibly they could be a sign that there is a real character issue there. Also, having sex one time unplanned is different than having a 1-2 yr. relationship and having sex on a regular basis. I would also need to know if they’ve had a test for STDs… one ex that had sex w/ only one guy had an STD that gave her an increased risk for cervical cancer as well as a small risk in not being able to bear children. Consider the costs.
Another thing to think about is how much God has forgiven you, and this helps in forgiving others. According to the statistics that Chip Ingram quoted in “Love, Sex, and Lasting Relationships”, the most sexually satisfied couples in marriage have only had sex w/ their marriage partners… but God does pour out his grace. Something I read elsewhere said that one predictor of divorce is if you have sex w/ someone before getting married (this doesn’t apply to you, but something to think about). Also think about this. It is necessary for you to be able to “deal with it” in the sense of forgiving her and not thinking about it all the time. Another issue is her dealing with it spiritually and psychologically. Sometimes the guilt really eats at a person and can lead to her feeling dirty and unworthy thus causing future sexual issues and frustrations. I’d challenge you to really search to see how she views her own identity in Christ and to see how she has “dealt with it”, or was it even a big deal to her?
(NIGERIA) If truly she is a strong believer, keep her more by not demanding sex from her.
(CANADA) Thank you for this website. I have been married for 4 months now. Before we got married, my husband professed to being a Christian. He loved going to church; we did not even kiss( peck here and there) because we chose Jesus above everything else. We read the Bible and prayed together. He was my heart’s desire.
When we got married, he changed; he does not have time for God, no bible study, less prayer, and I feel he is pulling me down. He is emotionally abusive and wants me to look like the models he sees on TV. When I am watching a preacher on TV, he turns the channel to movies or something else. I am praying at the same time doing my best to be a submissive wife as 1 Peter 3 says, but I can’t help but wonder how I missed seeing all the red flags before. I blame myself for this but even more for not being able to pray and worship as before.
My heart is overwhelmed with sadness and it shows. When he asks me, what can I do to make you happy? I tell him, come back to Christ; lets walk this spiritual journey together, but he says he is not interested. This is the worst part, he has no papers, and I have to sponsor him, may it be that he pulled it on me and pretended that he is a Christian so he could get his papers. Please pray for me, I want to be a good godly wife.
(SOUTH AFRICA) I think that God lead me to visit this site after I requested him to give me a certain sign of knowing my husband if and when I meet him. I fell in love with a Christian guy but we had differences. We did not share the same beliefs and values which matters to both of us. He called off the relationship. Though it was tough for the whole week, after reading this I can say praise be to God who saw us through, before an inevitable divorce.
(AUSTRALIA) I just want to say I have been pursued by a man in regards to a relationship with him for 7 yrs. For those 7 I have refused to be with him simply because he is not a Christian even though in those 7 we were friends. I have no doubt that he genuinely and truly loves me, but I have been contemplating a relationship with him, I do like him and have made how I feel about him known to him, but the fact still remains he is not born again.
Should I continue to refuse his pursuit? Or is it possible for me to pray for him to receive Christ ? And if I can not pray for him and still refuse his pursuit because he is not Christian I think about it and wonder if I decide to be with someone else will I regret it? I have known him for so long and think it is not fair on him. Please reply back to me. I understand I would love a man I can pray with and who can pray for me too, but in my situation, can I pray for him to be saved? if not please share words of wisdom.
(SOUTH AFRICA) I hope you didn’t do it, hope you didn’t go for that guy. If he’s not a Christian, there’s no compromise. Wait on God and He will come through for you.
(U.S.) First, she is not a Christian and you know it!! It is time that you open your eyes and get out of that relationship because the Devil is using her to get to you ….and you may end up in trouble because of this sinful relationship. You know the truth and it is time you live in the Truth!!!
(U.S.) Amen!!! May the Lord fulfill your desires according to His will!!
(USA) This is a great help. I wish I had had it when I married. I tried to evaluate my husband through what I knew from the Word as I was a devote follower of the LORD but did not have the knowledge of these things.
After two years of marriage he refused to be involved in anymore of the ministry we had been in. He entered the corporate world. He was embarrassed by my openess about my faith and the Word.
He neglected me and got involved with unbelievers as close friends and did not involve himself with me and our new child as much. He disconnected from relating to me as a one-flesh partner in marriage but remained ‘married’ to me. He chose to be private and make his own choices with ‘freedom’ as a right. No one could get through to him.
As the years went by we had three children and he rose in power and authority in his work. During a transfer he was sent ahead of us while I completed a large home renovtation and prepared for the sale …by the time we moved to be with him he was involved with a woman who approached him in a restaurant.
I did not find out about this until 14 years later after yet another move. They had been having adulterous relationship all that time while I homeschooled our children and invested them with Bible faith as well as I was able.
He was pressured by her to give her a child ..and then another one and he took from our finances to pay for a new home for her and a new car while telling me our finances were in a set back from his corp.
He has always been what most people view as a straight arrow, nice guy, very well educated, compassionate, caring …simply what many would see as a perfect husband and father …much due to my covering for him because I thought he loved us and was with us whenever his work allowed it!
I feel stupid now, but I did not identify his actions and even some of his changes in how he treated me as anything but being tired and pressured from work.
He cut off the contact with the woman …who ALWAYS KNEW from the beginning he was married and would never leave us. She pushed him to give her a child so that she could be a ‘single mom’ …which is not even what she is, she is a parasite.
I believed his words when he said he believed as I did. I observed his life in involving himself in fellowship and even helping to run classes. I see now that it is important to have a testimony of a WALK in which faith has been applied to life.
He had little in that area, and I bought into his behavior. But when marriage brought the various trials of physical limitations sexually with pregnancy and complications, and my faith began to cause his friends and co workers to ask him about his wifes faith …he denied Christ and me and lived his life on a downward trend.
Now he cannot see those children without damaging our children …though they are adults who await a mate from the LORD and have not even dated. He has hurt them so …but here and now is taking a long road back to recovery.
We have been ruined in many ways …including financially as this woman created for herself a venue for life long support for herself as long as child support is necessary.
Those children do not see him and this may be the best so that they could maybe have a father if that woman ever straightens her life out though she follows the new age religious venues. It is a MESS.
I feel for the young woman who is married to a man who is in the process of entering that road to distruction that pride and willful rejection of the Lord brings about …still remain faithful for the LORD knows what he will do …and your walk is still the strength that comes from HIM.
I am sorrowful every day. It is a terrible thing to have trusted a man for 30 years only to learn that he doted upon another woman. It is not that he was incapable of being faithful. He just refused to love his wife as he should and told me he would not learn what it meant to be a husband or father in the Lord.
Read this site carefully and LISTEN to the wisdom of it ..it is truly sound and worthy of hearing!
(SOUTH AFRICA) I am a backslider and many things happened there like having sex, getting unplanned child, arbotions, hiv+ and things that am not proud of but now I am born again again. Is that possible for me to get a man who will love me for who I am?
(CANADA) I am in a relationship with this girl and when I think about marriage, it unnerves me. We had a major fallout before because of our differences in things that we deem to be acceptable in a relationship e.g. appropriate physical boundaries. She was for the idea that everything else was acceptable (except for sex) and that didn’t go down well with me. We made up after a few months.
However, even though she appears to have changed, when I think back to those times, I feel like I’m “wasting” myself. I have always wanted a woman I can cherish, treasure and esteem highly because of her moral values. But with her, at times I feel I’m getting a raw deal. Am I being immature? I sometimes get the feeling that all this changed behaviour may just be an act of pretense.