Marriage, Are You Ready?
"It seems to me that some people spend more time planning the wedding then they do their marriage." John Bytheway said that. How many times have we seen that? The wedding only lasts a day, but you marriage should last forever. So why do we put all of the time and energy before the wedding day into that one day and not plan for all the days that follow that?
But how in the world do we prepare for marriage? I am going to be taking some pointers from a talk given by Kenneth W. Matheson titled "But I Thought Husbands Took Out The Garbage!" In it he says that the following are needed for a successful marriage;
1. Before trying to reconcile expectations, recognize that not all differences are bad.
But how in the world do we prepare for marriage? I am going to be taking some pointers from a talk given by Kenneth W. Matheson titled "But I Thought Husbands Took Out The Garbage!" In it he says that the following are needed for a successful marriage;
1. Before trying to reconcile expectations, recognize that not all differences are bad.
2. A useful way to clarify expectation is to write them down. List expectations according their importance.
3. Identify those expectations that you will not change.
4. After you and your sweetheart have prepared your lists, discuss them positively. As you talk, ask yourself the following questions: Are you as interested in understanding what he or she has to say as you are in explaining yourself? Do you view many of your expectations as flexible? Do you understand that expectations in such a discussion are not demands? Remember that even serious differences in many expectations can be worked out.
Now these are just a few things that were sugested in this talk and I recommend reading the rest of it, but I just want to make something clear before I end. All of my previous blog posts have been about keeping marriage a sacred thing. Do not treat it cheaply or disregard it. It is not to be treated as anything, but the most valued possession. In order make sure that that possession stays beautiful we must prepare for it.
Kenneth W. Matheson's full talk
3. Identify those expectations that you will not change.
4. After you and your sweetheart have prepared your lists, discuss them positively. As you talk, ask yourself the following questions: Are you as interested in understanding what he or she has to say as you are in explaining yourself? Do you view many of your expectations as flexible? Do you understand that expectations in such a discussion are not demands? Remember that even serious differences in many expectations can be worked out.
Now these are just a few things that were sugested in this talk and I recommend reading the rest of it, but I just want to make something clear before I end. All of my previous blog posts have been about keeping marriage a sacred thing. Do not treat it cheaply or disregard it. It is not to be treated as anything, but the most valued possession. In order make sure that that possession stays beautiful we must prepare for it.
Kenneth W. Matheson's full talk
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