Marriage is much easier when you want to raise kids, plan your weekend, determine what values your home will and won’t celebrate if you both are on the same page. Paul knows you can’t build a foundation together if you’re not even in agreement what to build a life upon. Who we spend the most time with will influence our faith, values, our world view and so much more.

Would it surprise you to know that the average age for marriage today is 28.5 for females and 30 for males? It’s no wonder most don’t save sex for marriage as people are now on average, 15-20 years beyond puberty by the time they are married. So was Paul right when he said "it is good not to be married" or when he said to marry quickly if "they cannot control themselves?" Maybe Paul was addressing people who view marriage as an idol or status to obtained above the blessing that God ordains through marriage.

There are so many questions to consider for lasting relationships. Why do most marriages fail? How do I know if someone is "marriage material"? How do I know if I am? How can I prepare for marriage? How do we protect our marriage from being another statistic? What does a healthy relationship look like anyway? By the time we think through all of the "what ifs" we may conclude that marriage will require too many feelings which may exhaust us. Marriage is a commitment of personal sacrifice to your spouse for the purpose of a Christ centered relationship in your marriage!

Remember when you thought being an adult was when you’d really enjoy life? Graduating HS, College, Marriage. We all thought the next season would be so perfect that’s when we’d be happy. So how do our current expectations align with individuals whose stories are shared in scripture?