Is marriage ideal?

Marriage is really a good thing. It shapes your attitude and helps you enjoy the blessings of togetherness.

Now, to our topic for today: "Is marriage ideal?" Yes! The answer is really a whole lot less complicated than many have made it – and it is nowhere near as confusing as some traditional teaching may have taught. A man once said: No one knows what marriage will eventually become, but for now it’s incredibly personal – it's about two people and their commitment to one another, and each commitment is unique.

Marriage – even when you are engaged to the so-called right person – will require lots and lots from within to make or create a happy and successful home. It takes much of all in you to give out in love before even the receiving comes.

Honestly, your marriage could go in any direction by the words from your tongue. The Bible says: "...whatsoever you shall say to this mountain, be removed,... he shall have whatsoever he says" (Mark 11:23). But is it true that life and death is in the power of the tongue? Do my words really have power? Can I really change things just using my words? Can I really have what I say? Yes! You can make your marriage very ideal and refreshing.

The "tongue" is used throughout Scripture in both literal and metaphorical ways, especially in Psalms, Proverbs and James. The tongue is a "small part of the body" (James 3:5), yet Proverbs 18:21 says it "has the power of life and death."

When you say good things about your marriage or relationship, surely it shall be endorsed from the Most High Jehovah. One thing about marriage is that it reveals to you who your partner really is. But one other thing too is that in all, you must be able to handle the weaknesses of your partner through reading, listening and watching from others with good examples. You don't love a person because he/she is perfect but because you need the person one way or the other or really want to make a home with that person.

Kind words are really vital in any marriage and that makes your living unique. The words we speak can lift or kill or even cause a broken home or marriage. Also, little things need appreciation in a marriage.

Finally, to have an ideal marriage, you need to consider the following:

1) There are lots of men or women you could be in love with, but a tiny fraction of whom you could live with successfully. So remember this principle: don’t fall in love with someone your intuition says you couldn’t build a satisfying and fulfilling life with.

2) This is a life-cycle issue, that is, a very long-term issue. People relate to something beyond themselves, and this spiritual inclination becomes more important over the course of life. If you are both growing spiritually over the years, you will experience more fulfillment, even if you have different religious practices.

3) Are you open and honest with each other about your values? For example, do you both value family? Do you both value commitment and have a common understanding of what commitment is? 

4) Liking is more basic than loving. Is he or she your ideal "best friend?" If not, consider it a red flag.