For Life

We make many decisions during our time on earth, but few have a lifelong impact on the path our lives will take. The decision to marry someone you love to bond yourself to them completely is unlike any other and can reshape your journey permanently. When two people have similar goals, values, beliefs and needs, marriage can be a lifetime of growing together through love, respect, shared laughter and tears, friendship, and true intimacy that is very fulfilling. It can be the "happy ever after" as God intended it to be. However, the decision to get married should be made with the mind, the soul, as well as with the heart. Carefully considering whether you truly want to get married, both as an individual and as a couple, can ensure that if you do choose to marry, your relationship can grow to an unbelievable connection between two souls.

Determining whether you should marry should be deeply thought out, real, and openly honest with ourselves when looking at our motivation to marry. This is one decision in which you consider your partner, yourself, and possibly the parent of your children (which tends to be sooner than we usually 'plan'). Knowing that love and attraction do not guarantee long-term relationship of joy. Love is not everything....it's a package deal. If your relationship is not secure (in all ways), marriage will not make ANYTHING so. If your partner is not as attentive, loving, or kind as you would like, becoming spouses will not change that either. Marriage has no power to permanently fill any emotional or spiritual gaps in your life. Ask yourself: Are my partner & I able to resolve conflict in healthy & productive ways, communicate easily & openly to one another, and fully love & respect one another while doing it? Your ideas about commitment & marital boundaries, children and child rearing, religious & political views, finances, and marital roles must be at the very least compatible. It is your shared responsibility (to the world) to discuss and come to agreements BEFORE the marriage, only then will you be able to predict how successful your future fantasy/marriage will be. Younger couples often rush into marriage just for the wedding dress, the ring, the party, and honeymoon -not EVER discussing the lifelong challenges they will face. Would you still be willing to be married if you couldn't have these things? What would you want for your children, is that different than what you are choosing, and why? When you work together with your partner, support one another, and are openly honest about your feelings, you'll come to the right decision for you. Remembering, "When in doubt; DONT" applies to most major decisions in life. The honeymoon will eventually wear off, and what you are left with is a partner FOR LIFE.