Photo by PieterMusterd.

For many years I witnessed <and still do> the wonderful marriage of my parents. Although they are not perfect, they did make specific choices when they exchanged vows at the altar. Their choices included making God the center of their relationship and letting God guide their family. That is why I now stand and consider myself blessed for having such parents.

Today, although a few months short of my fifth anniversary, I am very happy and grateful for the marriage God has given me. With my husband, we have learned and grown in ways we could not even imagine. I am very blessed.

Here is a continuation of the letter a wise man wrote to his two sons regarding women (a future wife):

First, know that the woman you marry will be the lifelong mother of your children. All that she is in the accumulation of her past experiences will be present as the mother of your children. There is not a more major decision affecting the future of your children than the choice of your life’s partner… Treat your wife as a delicate flower, and she will “bloom” with energy to be a more giving mother.
Be sure to cultivate your relationship with your wife. Meet her needs. Make her happy. Enjoy her thoroughly … If you love and cherish your wife, the children will love and cherish her also.

Here are basic qualities you need to look for when choosing your wife:
That she loves the Lord and is his true disciple
Cheerfulness
Thankfulness
That she is a creative and hard worker
Love for children

Never marry a girl who feels she is not getting the best man in the world when she gets you. A girl who enters marriage thinking she could have done better will never be satisfied for wondering what it might have been like if…

Avoid like a plague the girl who will pursue her own career outside the home. A wife must be your “help-meet.”

Photo by carf.

• You know what he likes and dislikes.
• You know what he is passionate about.
• You know what attracts him to certain friends.
• You know why his friends are attracted to him.
• You know what bad habits he struggles with.
• You know what strengths he is aware he has.
• You know what he would choose to do if he had all the money and time in the world.
• You know what music he listens to, and why he likes it.
• You know what type of people disgusts him.
• You know what type of people he admires.
• You tell him God is directing you to help him/her make changes in his behavior and he humbly and readily accepts it.