MARRIAGE INSIGHTS - Quotes on “Preparing for Marriage”

Quotes on “Preparing for Marriage”

• 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)

• 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 Cole 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)

• The love we have for each other before marriage can be grand, but it’s also very different and is vulnerable to change after the wedding and the dailiness of everyday problems start to invade the relationship. If you don’t think that’s true just look at the divorce statistics. How many of those who marry ever thought they would eventually divorce? It’s safe to say that very, very few thought that. They thought their love was different than others who encountered such problems. That’s why we need to be better prepared before we marry because love changes and we’d better make sure we’re as prepared as we can be. (Cindy Wright)

• 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”)

• Neither you nor your potential mate is going to be perfect, nor will you ever be. The qualities we look at which go into becoming the right person easily can seem overwhelming. But bear in mind that not every aspect of each of them will be present or perfectly active all the time. If your attitude is, “Well, I’ve never been good with money that’s just the way I am,” your marriage has a problem already. If however, your attitude is, “I’ve never been good with money, but starting now I’m going to work on changing that,” you’re on the right track. And, of course, this perspective is applicable not only to how you handle money, but also to other qualities. (Josh McDowel, The Secret of Loving)