What is Marriage, Christian Counseling,

Look up “Marriage “on the internet and you have “about 641,000,000 results” to choose from. Most people do not comprehend what a “million” is, much less 641 of them. Merriam-Webster (www.merriam-webster.com) defines marriage as “the state of being united as a spouse in a consensual and contractual relationship recognized by law, (the institution whereby individuals are joined in marriage), an act of marrying or the rite by which the married status is effected; an intimate or close union.” Then “dictionary.com” states “Marriage is a covenant, a sacred bond between a man and a woman instituted by and publicly entered into before God and normally consummated.” I write this to show that in two sources that should be identical in their definitions are not. Then if you throw in the secular or worldly ideas you come up with many definitions that do not agree with anyone but the person giving the definition. Personally, I define “marriage” as two people that have decided to “for better or worse” to come together and agree (contract) to share any and everything imaginable with each other for the rest of their lives. These two people will share all the wonderful things that life will offer and they will share all the sadness, sickness, and bad things that also come along during their lives. Marriage is truly a paradox in that it is a very wonderful difficult, loving and hateful, sweet and sour, easy and difficult relationship. Marriage is a lifetime obligation and the most important relationship that two people will ever enter into. Unfortunately, many people enter marriage thinking that their “love” will carry them past all the problems. Sadly it is almost as easy to fall out of love as it is to fall in love. Marriage is a serious business that should never be entered into without much study and prayer.
There are many Bible verses that address marriage directly. Marriage is directly mentioned at least twenty-one times in the King James Version of the Bible, five in the Old Testament and sixteen times in the New Testament. There are many other verses that address relationships that can and should be considered when entering the marriage contract. Genesis 1:27-28 states “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. And God blessed them. And God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.’ ”
Marriage is ripe with opportunities to have problems between the spouses. Financial woes that never seem to get better, In-laws that know better how you should live than you do, friends that have not realized they are no longer a part of everyday activities, the honeymoon that ended much to quick or the honeymoon that lasted way to long interfering with reality, expectations that never materialize, and of course children change everything. The successful married couple will need to address each of these issues seriously, obtain counsel, educate themselves, and work diligently to overcome each potential problem. Hard work, honesty, a loving heart, a lot of understanding, shared respect, being properly prepared, and patience will help the couple achieve a sound and secure marriage. There will be many bumps in the road, many arguments, and disappointments, but with proper preparation and lots of prayers, a happy marriage will be created. Proverbs 18:22 states “He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the Lord.” However, people that enter a marriage for the wrong reasons and without being properly prepared will not fare well and will suffer difficult relationship and the sadness that accompanies failed marriages. A failed marriage affects the couple, but it also has a negative effect on the families of both parties, and a long lasting and difficult effect n the children of the couple. Every couple that is considering marriage needs to take counsel with their Pastors, family members, and successful married friends. Look for and find good, honest, and Godly counsel to learn from. Matthew 7:7-12 instructs us to “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.”