Marriage

It’s no secret marriage is a beautiful but hard adventure. When I first got married, I assumed there would be a magic switch that would transform us into people who loved, listened and learned well. But this wasn’t the case. In fact, it was the complete opposite.

In my years of counseling and ministering to married couples, mostly in distress, I have learned some principles that run fairly consistent within each marriage. Couples really are not that different from each other.

Do you ever feel like your marriage is adrift, with no one guiding the ship?

From men who have affairs, to those who are addicted to pornography, sexual addictions are particularly malignant and destructive to marriages.

Disagreements, irritation, and even anger at our spouse don’t have to be relationship killers. When we are open to God’s leading in our hearts through our marriage relationship, He can (and will) use those times of conflict to help us grow and become more like Him.

So what happens if we get engaged? Can we have sex if we fully intend to marry this brother and sister in Christ? Or does the wait-until-you-get-married conviction apply in this case?