GOD’S DESIGN FOR MARRIAGE

[Michie]

Find the key to making your marriage flourish — just as God designed.

In This Series:​

• 1. Covenant: The Heart of the Marriage Mystery
• 2. Reflecting Our Relationship With God
• 3. God's Design for Marriage
• 4. Why Marriage Matters for Adults

It’s easy to think that only “other people” get divorced, that your own marriage is somehow immune to heartache.

Consequently, you think only others experience infidelity and fights over who gets the house, the car, the dog. After all, how many of us would walk down the aisle if we believed our relationships would end up in divorce court?

Truth is, no relationship comes with a lifetime guarantee. Even men and women who grew up in stable homes are at risk. Further, those who attend church and consider themselves Christians, who promise “until death do us part,” can have it all fall apart.

As Christians, we know that applying biblical principles to marriage will give us a stronger foundation than those of our unbelieving friends and neighbors. Surely we know this, but what are we doing about it? In other words, what makes a marriage “Christian”?

According to author Gary Thomas, we’re not asking the right questions. What if your relationship isn’t as much about you and your spouse as it is about you and God?
Instead of asking why we have struggles in the first place, the more important issue is how we deal with them.

In Sacred Marriage, Thomas has not written your typical “how to have a happier relationship” book. Rather, he asks: How can we use the challenges, joys, struggles and celebrations of marriage to draw closer to God? What if God designed marriage to make us both happy and holy?

Cherish Your Spouse, Change Your Marriage​

Author Gary Thomas describes what it means to truly cherish your spouse, offering practical advice to help you build a more satisfying and fulfilling marriage. (Listen to part 2.)

Viewing marriage realistically​

Continued below.

God's Design for Marriage

Divorce sneaks up on so many couples who never expected it. God's design will help safeguard your marriage.

www.focusonthefamily.com

 

[seeking.IAM]

I think one of the most important statements in this article is, "Marriage is an other-centered union." I often tell clients two important factors for a satisfying marriage are (a) finding the right person and (b) being the right person. Being the right person is the hardest part. We find the right person at a single moment in time; we have to be the right person every day after that. We have to get up every morning and ensure we are still being the right person for our partner. That is an "other-centered" task of listening, responding, supporting, loving, and taking care of our partner's needs - doing some things not because they are important to us but because they are important to another. Many people come into marriage counseling self-focused, which is a large part of a problem that has developed over years.

 

[Michie]

I think one of the most important statements in this article is, "Marriage is an other-centered union." I often tell clients two important factors for a satisfying marriage are (a) finding the right person and (b) being the right person. Being the right person is the hardest part. We find the right person at a single moment in time; we have to be the right person every day after that. We have to get up every morning and ensure we are still being the right person for our partner. That is an "other-centered" task of listening, responding, supporting, loving, and taking care of our partner's needs - doing some things not because they are important to us but because they are important to another. Many people come into marriage counseling self-focused, which is a large part of a problem that has developed over years.

Absolutely. Too much fantasy and not enough reality.