BEFORE YOU SAY, "I DO!"
When we enter into marriage for any other reason than love, we are doing a great disservice to ourselves. I have always stated that it is hard enough living and getting along with someone you love; just imagine how difficult it would be to live with someone you do not love. We have the responsibility to enter into holy matrimony with the right motives and allow good stewardship to reign in our marriages. If we are going to experience God's best in marriage then we must adhere to His principles that He has given us to live in a healthy, wholesome, and fulfilled relationship. Marriage was not created to just be tolerable, it was created to mesh together two unique and whole individuals who chose to spend the rest of their lives together. Being a good steward of someone else's heart is a privilege; therefore, we should handle it with care.
".... marriage is not about whom you can live with, but who you cannot live without."
In writing this article, it reminds me of a wedding I attended several years ago. The minister who officiated over the ceremony made a profound statement that I will never forget, she said, "marriage is not about whom you can live with, but who you cannot live without." When you understand that being good stewards over another person's heart is the key to fulfillment in a marriage, then and only then will you begin to appreciate all the benefits that God intended for you to experience in one of the most beautiful institutions He created.
"The husband must fulfill his duty to his wife, and likewise also the wife to her husband", (I Corinthians 7: 3, NASB).