I saw a young lady’s Facebook post yesterday saying that people should live together before they get married. Her argument was basically that in order to know someone you must live with them first. So basically, a free test drive. I strongly disagree. After 15 years of marriage, I can tell you there will always be things your spouse does that will drive you crazy. Let me give you a list of things I do that drive my wife nuts:
- Socks right next to the dirty hamper
- Shoes by the door
- Hat on counter
- Fishing gear on my desk
- Toilet seat up
- Towel over the shower bar
- Yeti cups everywhere
- Not making the bed as soon as my feet hit the floor
- Beard trimmings in the sink
- Toilet paper applied the “wrong” direction
- Never turning a light on
- Playing Video Games
I could go on and on, there are millions of things that I do that drive my wife bonkers. On the other hand, there are things she does that drive me crazy. Living together beforehand would not change those things. It is who they are. In our society we see people living together all the time and see it fall apart all the time. Why? One simple word, commitment. A word that has lost its’ meaning and power in today’s society. It is a big word to God and should be a huge word to us. I have said for the longest time that God loves to bless two things, Givers and Marriages. God loves to give to a cheerful giver and God loves to bless marriages. There was a time in America when living together before marriage was frowned upon. It was seen as putting the cart before the horse. That has obviously shifted, yet that does not make it the right thing to do. The plan according to scripture is to get married and make a home and life under God, focused on God, and for God. God’s plan for us sexually is to wait in preparation until marriage, get married, have lots of sex, enjoy your spouse, have kids, and live life to the fullest. We see that play out very seldomly though. What we see is people shack up, break up, rinse and repeat. Meanwhile, there are kids born out of wedlock, that are left out of a two-parent or nuclear home. Studies have shown how much better off a child that grows up in a nuclear home is into adulthood. Financially, we see that people who are not married yet move into a home together and buy it together, usually end up breaking up and fighting over house and stuff.
So stop playing house, get married, be blessed by God, and live happily and fully in His embrace. It is not what the world will tell you to do. It is what God is telling us to do! Re
Focusing On Godly Things 