Marriage Tips for a Happy Home: Marriage Boundaries

Marriage Boundary is that line or limit which partners set to protect their marriage, and prevent themselves from exploitation and manipulation, It enable you to draw a line between you and your spouse and allocate ownership and responsibility between two of you. 

Either you got married as friends, but then found yourselves running into difficulty because you each had your own way of living and doing. You and your partner came from different family background, tribe, geographical location and probably, different religion.

One of your job as a couple is to create some boundaries and rules that will guide you in your marriage. But if you’ve never created any rules before, and you or your partner don’t like rules and boundaries, it won’t be an easy task.

Marriage is a full time job and hard work! When you got married you probably said something that resembled the traditional marriage vows:  

“I will love you, and comfort you, and keep you in sickness and in health, forsaking all others, keep unto you as long as we both shall live. And I take you for better or worse, richer or poorer, in sickness and in health; to love and cherish you until death do us part.”

Have you ever ponder on this pledge and really realize what you were getting into?

Prophet Isaiah outlined one of the reasons why this process is so difficult in Isaiah 53:6: 

“We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us have turned to his own way.” We’re all human, wanting to do it our “own way.”

The reality is that, you cannot have it your way and make mutually agreeable rules and guidelines. If your attitude is “my way is more important to me than the marriage,” and you cannot make sacrifices for your marriage, you won’t be able to function as a married couple.

But there is a good news for you if you can talk to God who is the founder of marriage, If you discover you have the problem of self-centeredness, God can change your heart. God's assurance is found in Ezekiel 36:26 that, 

“I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you.” 

There’s hope my friend, and it’s in God!. Your marriage doesn’t need to be a failure if you allow the initiator and manufacturer of marriage to help you.

Now, Take a bold step
Take a few minutes to think about your marriage relationship: Why did you initially marry your spouse? What qualities does your marriage partner possess that you appreciate? In what ways do you want your “own way” in the relationship? Ask God to change your heart toward your spouse in whichever way you most need it – be open to God's leading.

God bless your union.

Extracted from Dr. Brandt’s message on Marriage.