By: Lady Nwosu (Editor)
OXFORD ADVANCED LEARNERS DICTIONARY defines marriage as a legal relationship between a husband and wife. It is one union which some of those involved want to bolt away, while those outside want to get in. Marriage is supposed to be a thing of joy established by God, when He created Adam and deemed it fit to give him a companion and help mate. Gen.2:21-24. To drive home the intention of God, Jesus Christ attended the wedding at Canaan which was also graced by His Mother, and when the celebrant ran out of wine He was informed and He turned water into wine which tasted better.
Everybody drank it and was very happy, Jn.2:1-12. Incidentally, whereas some have stories of woes to tell others are having fun in their relationship. Different strokes!! It must be noted that no marriage is 100% perfect as long as two individuals are involved. Therefore, there is bound to be some hiccups. Hence the couple’s ability to resolve their conflicts becomes important and if well-handled will enjoy the honey down the tunnel.
Your spouse is supposed to be your soul mate, friend, confidant and the love of your life.
FACTORS THAT PROMOTE HAPPY MARRIAGE
(a) Spouses must endeavour sincerely to create an enabling environment to promote healthy, happy relationship. This is first achieved by building your marriage on the word of God which is the opium of all marriages and as such must be used all the time.
(b) Try to ignore each other’s shortcomings; for you to enjoy your marriage and live long. As much as possible, accommodate one another. (c) Communication is one of the principles of a happy marriage and spouses that cannot communicate with one another are in for a difficult time. They must be ready to listen to one another even if he/she has a birdbrain, there is always something to learn from a mad person’s sayings. This creates a strong bond amongst spouses. Remember at the altar you swore to an oath to be together and to cherish one another till death do you part.
(d) Keep the happenings amongst you private; things that happen in the family should not be like papers flying along the road because you’re seeking for sympathy. By doing this you are inviting devourers to destroy your marriage. (e) Always complement one another, everybody loves to be appreciated and in
addition, pet names such as dear, honey, my love etc. should be used. These not only promote happiness but also make one to feel sad
FACTORS THAT LEAD TO AN UNHAPPY MARRIAGE one of the foundations of a happy (a) Lies and decent destiny trust which is relationship, it is heart breaking when one discovers that his/her spouse is (g) Cheating and extra marital affair is another killer in marriage. It has wrecked deceitful.
when faced with any challenge. One is expected to be proud and to many homes and created unhappiness defend his/her spouse with confidence Satan is on the rampage so you must be careful and contented with your (b) Running down your spouse is a very marriage. The result of these awful bad behaviour. As you run down your relationships invariably offspring’s your spouse you are running down yourself. children physically in most cases
Many couples destroy their partners with
lies, profane false accusations due to
psychologically.
peace and patience, always justifying prayerful and study the word of God psychological problems. They control CONCLUSION Spouses should be
themselves and jump to wrong conclusion. One must note that the tongue is very destructive, it is very difficult to retrieve what goes out of our mouth and the bible has warned against this.
(c) External influence is one of the most dangerous in a marriage. Spouses must be very careful in inviting friends. People who smile at you but nurture evil thought: not want peace to exist in your Do not ask for advice relationship. except it is desperately needed: professionals (counsellors) and experienced men of God help you but first try to solve your problems within. (d) Mother-in- law or Sister- in- law syndrome is not very difficult to handle, you must find a way to cultivate a healthy relationship with these people because they raised your spouse and I’ with him/her most of their life.
(e) Respect must be shown to one another as there is in a marriage. A man is required to love his wife as Christ church and died for it while the woman is expected to subs own husband. Eph.5:22-28. One is expected to avoid beating his/her spouse as it is shameful f) Hardship is fast affecting many marriages due to downturn in the economy, people are engaging in ungodly behaviour such as stealing, prostitution etc. and does not last forever as the bible enjoins us in Ps.30:5
against the wiles of the enemy, Pray for one another. Try to be a good example and leave a good legacy worthy of emulation for your children and people around you. Couples should endeavour to be gainfully employed would reduce the pressure at home.
