Next Generation + Marriage

My church just finished a series titled “Helping the Next Gen Win”. They talked about different areas in life where the next generation may need positive reinforcement to be successful: finances, standard of living, mentorship and a few more. After this series, I started thinking about what are we doing to help the next generation win in marriage. Marriage isn’t always portrayed in a positive light and let’s face it, marriages are ending faster than they begin. God created marriage and He is for your marriage. Here are a few ways I think we can help the next generation have a successful marriage.

1)      Be open and honest – Let’s be honest, marriage takes work! We need to be honest and let people know, if you aren’t willing to put in the time and work in marriage, don’t get married. Let them know there will be hard days, days where you don’t like your spouse, days when you don’t think you will get through; but during those days you persevere and remember why you married your spouse. You also must be open and honest with your spouse. It is important to share things with your spouse even if you feel it will hurt them; honesty is a must for any relationship to succeed.

2)      Show unity – You must have unity in a marriage for it to be successful; you come together and make decisions concerning your family. This does not mean you will agree with everything your spouse says or does but you must continue to be united with your spouse. You should learn how to agree to disagree without disrupting your unity.  Remember, you are a team.

3)      Managing finances – It is important to make wise decisions when it comes to spending and saving finances. Unhealthy spending habits can tear apart a marriage. When there is stress concerning finances, frustration can be taken out on the spouse. If one spouse is better at managing money, then they should be over the finances. If both spouses lack the wisdom on spending, go to a specialist for help.

4)      Marriage mentors – No one is perfect, so both spouses will make mistakes which can cause issues to arise in your marriage. When you have a marriage mentor to call on for advice or help to get through a situation, it can help save your marriage or help prevent major issues. Marriage mentors should be people you can trust and feel you can be completely honest without feeling judged. Marriage mentors do not have to be pastors or counselors; mentors can be friends who have been married longer than you, a couple you know from church or work; anyone you feel who will hold you accountable to God and your spouse.

5)      Center your marriage around God – This is the most important step in my opinion. When you center your life around God, He will direct your path. So, when your marriage is centered around God, when problems arise, you know to go directly to God together, pray together and study His word together. God will show you how to be the husband your wife need, the wife your husband need, the parents your kids need. When your marriage is centered around God, it’s easier to be unified, faithful, respectful, honest, etc to your spouse and your marriage.

The family unit is being attacked, that is why it is important for us to stand up for marriage. Show our next generation marriage can be great if you work hard and honor your marriage values. Will you and your spouse stand up and help the next generation win in marriage?

Be blessed…love y’all for real,

Chell