Exposition:

In as much as we expect marriages to be perfect one. It may come with challenges as well. The ability of a prospective couple to manage conflicts and also accept changes in each other is critical to the survival of the marriage. As clearly stated in Genesis 2:24 that “a man would leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife and they shall become one flesh”, as prospective couples we must psychologically accept and be ready to spend the rest of our lives with each other. This can help the couple to stay connected to the marriage. If we are not psychologically prepared to accept this fact it leads to the couple always returning to their families.

In addition to preparing psychologically, there is the need for prospective couples to discuss critical issues that have the tendency to destroy the beauty of the marriage. Some of these issues include; when the two of us would want to have children, will the two of us be working as well as how financial issues will be addressed.

As we might have heard that in our Ghanaian context when we marry you become part of that family, it is important that we psychologically prepare to accept the other family members and others in the society. It is important that before we get married, we are able to interact with people from different backgrounds. When we are not able to properly integrate into the other partner’s family, it tends to bring tension in the marriage.

Emotional readiness is also key in preparing to marry. Am I an emotional person? If it is so then it is important to start looking at how to control myself since there will come a time in the marriage that I would need to show emotional maturity. Prov 29:11 says “A fool always loses his temper but a wise man holds it back.”