I remember it like it was yesterday. God said to me, “Jamal, how can I trust you with leading a woman if you do not know how to lead yourself?” That moment was a wake up call to me. I was young, but man I was so ready to be married.
I wasn’t one of those guys that enjoyed the game of “being on the market”. I desired to have one woman that I would commit to love for the rest of my life.
But, the reality was that at that season of my life, I wasn’t ready for that kind of commitment. The desire was not enough; I had to spend a season being intentional to prepare myself to be a man that a woman would trust to be led by and embrace as the future father of her children.
Once I embraced my season of preparation for marriage, I had a few people in my life that didn’t understand my commitment to it. Well, I had to let those people go. These are the 3 types of people you must let go when desiring to prepare for marriage.
Related: Here’s how to prepare your dating relationship for marriage
The “It Doesn’t Take All of That” Person
This is the person that will have you thinking it’s perfectly okay to do certain things before you are ready. In their mind, relationships are not that big of a deal and do not require a lot of preparation. This is the person who doesn’t value marriage for the power it has to make or break your life.
Be careful with this person because they will cause you to second guess your season of being intentional about preparing yourself for marriage. Be led by the Lord on what things you want to do to prepare yourself.
The “My Future Spouse Better Love Me Just the Way I am” Person
This is the person that believes the person they marry should accept them for them. This is actually true to an extent. Why? Because you want to marry someone that has a desire to always continue growing.
Related: How the fear of rejection can stunt your growth and keep you single
My wife absolutely loves me for me, but she also desires to see me become everything God has called me to be. This type of person is lazy and self centered. Be very careful with this type of person because they will have you compromising your level of commitment to preparing yourself for marriage.
The “I Ain’t Ever Getting Married” Person
This is the person that just dates around and never gets into a committed relationship. Most likely they’ve been hurt in the past and fails to see marriage as a reality. Because of this, it is easy for them to speak negatively about having a healthy relationship.
This could discourage you in your journey to meeting someone of quality. The Bible states in 1 Timothy that God has not given us a spirit of fear. God doesn’t want us to be fearful towards relationships, but trust Him through the entire process
As you make the commitment during your single season to prepare yourself for marriage, be sure you surround yourself with positive people that will support you on your journey to the altar.
BMWK, are you preparing for marriage? If so, have you cut all the negative ties?