Preparing for MarriageSample

Learn to Adjust to Each Other

Marriage brings two different people together, with different backgrounds, personalities, and preferences. Healthy relationships require flexibility.

One of the things we never really thought through before marriage was how the holidays would work. My wife Elizabeth’s family did big family parties, and so did mine, but there were differences. For example, her family never did gifts. It just wasn’t part of their culture. But in my family, gift-giving was a big deal. My mom, especially, loves giving gifts; not just at Christmas, but at Easter and even on random days throughout the year.

When we got married, we realized something important: I wasn’t bringing my family’s holiday culture into our home, and she wasn’t bringing hers either. Instead, we had to decide together what our family would look like. We had to create something new, something that reflected us.

That’s what marriage requires. Not clinging to “this is how I’ve always done it,” but asking, “What is best for us?”

“In marriage, “two become one,” and this miracle must never be forgotten. Marriage means that a man and a woman must no longer say “mine” and “yours”; they should say only “ours.” If one of them has a ministry, they both have a ministry, whether the other one accepts it or not. Marriage isn’t a fifty-fifty partnership; it’s a 100 percent stewardship in which each mate lives for the other, and both live for the Lord.” — Warren Wiersbe

Instead of demanding your way, learn to adjust. This is not losing yourself; it is choosing unity over preference.

Respond to God’s Word:

Where do you need to be more flexible in your relationship?