Outside influences
Every marriage has influences beyond their immediate control, but that have profound and direct impact on the marriage. Some of those influences include:
• Children
• In-laws/other relatives
• Friends
• Pressures of life/stress
• Devil
All of these are normal influences in any marriage. Some of them are even welcome influencers in the marriage. The key is not to let ANY of them distract from the plan God has for the marriage to become one flesh.
Differing goals/objectives
Remember every couple is made up of two unique, differently designed individuals. That means each one brings unique qualities, personalities and opinions to the relationship. Again, that’s part of God’s overall design to make two people one.
Some of the major differences include:
• Outlook on life; usually one is more positive and one is more negative
• Differences in family backgrounds
• Personality differences Introvert/Extrovert; Thinker/Feeler; Organized/Disorganized
• Parenting Objectives
The overall goal of marriage is not to make both parties in the marriage like one of the parties. It’s to make ONE new unit out of the two. Discovering how to blend one flesh out of two different people takes years and requires practice, patience and lots of hard work. Remembering that differences are a part of God’s plan and can actually help us build stronger marriages.
Remember also God didn’t promise this would be easy. In fact, the very next line after the difficult verse I shared in the opening of this post says, “This is a profound mystery” (Ephesians 5:32). If you are married, praise God for the mystery He gave you today.
