After about 6 months of being married, I realized something that I pray every unmarried person will take very serious. Every second I spent before I said I do, was preparation for marriage. All the things I accomplished and all the things I failed to do contributed to my present day marriage. Before I married, I was a huge proponent for preparing for marriage. But now that I am married, I cannot stress how important it is to prepare for the covenant that changes everything.
When I teach on this, the first response is, “Well, I don’t have anyone to date to prepare for marriage.” Dating is not the only way to prepare for marriage and also can be very dangerous if not done God’s way.
Here are a 25 ways to prepare for marriage other than dating.
- Healthy friendships with the opposite sex.
- Get a roommate. (same sex)
- Spend time with a married couple that inspires you to be married.
- Learn how to cook. (Poor eating habits is very unattractive and destructive to yourself.)
- Establish the foundation of God’s purpose for your life.
- Read books on marriage.
- Attend conferences on preparing for marriage and relationships.
- Identify your strength and weaknesses in relationships.
- Establish a consistent prayer & devotional life.
- Get financial intelligence.
- Go to college.
- Examine the good and bad of your parent’s marriage.
- Serve at your local church.
- Learn how to deal with conflict with your friends.
- Go on a mission trip to another country with a team.
- Take faith risks for God to break fear and learn obedience.
- Examine all your failed friendships and see why things went sour.
- Keep your home/room/closet/car clean. (No one wants a dirty spouse)
- Get a hobby.
- Become a glass house for your close friends. (Transparency as a normal part of your life.)
- Ask your “real” friends what are areas of your character need development every 3-6 months.
- Learn when to say yes, and when to say NO. (self control)
- Work hard. (if you don’t want to marry a lazy person, then don’t be lazy yourself)
- Develop a healthy lifestyle.
- Get a biblical understanding of the role of a husband and wife in a Godly marriage.
BMWK – what else can you add to this list? How did you prepare for marriage?