Writers 
Preparing for a Successful Marriage
CONSTRUCTING a building requires careful preparation. Before the foundation is laid, land must be acquired and plans drawn up. However, something else is vital. Jesus said: "Who of you that wants to build a tower does not first sit down and calculate the expense, to see if he has enough to complete it?" Luke 14:28.
What is true of constructing a building also applies to constructing a successful marriage. Many say: "I want to get married." But how many stop to consider the cost? While the Bible speaks favorably of marriage, it also draws attention to the challenges that marriage presents. (Proverbs 18:22; 1 Corinthians 7:28) Therefore, those contemplating marriage need to have a realistic view of both the blessings and the costs of being married.
The Bible can help. Its counsel is inspired by the Originator of marriage, Jehovah God. (Ephesians 3:14, 15; 2 Timothy 3:16) Using the principles found in this ancient yet very up to date guidebook, let us determine
(1) How can a person tell whether he or she is ready for marriage?
(2) What should be looked for in a mate? and
(3) How can courtship be kept honorable?
ARE YOU READY FOR MARRIAGE?
Constructing a building may be expensive, but caring for its long-term maintenance is costly as well. It is similar with marriage. Getting married seems challenging enough; however, maintaining a marital relationship year after year must also be considered. What does maintaining such a relationship entail? A vital factor is a wholehearted commitment. Here is how the Bible describes the marriage relationship: "A man will leave his father and his mother and he must stick to his wife and they must become one flesh." (Genesis 2:24) Jesus Christ gave the only Scriptural basis for divorce with the possibility of remarriage "fornication," that is, illicit sex relations outside the marriage.
(Matthew 19:9) If you are contemplating marriage, bear these Scriptural standards in mind. If you are not ready for this solemn commitment, then you are not ready for marriage. Deuteronomy 23:21: Ecclesiastes 5:4, 5.
The idea of a solemn commitment frightens many. "Knowing that the two of us were stuck together for life made me feel pushed into a corner, closed in, totally confined," confessed one young man. But if you really love the person you intend to marry, commitment will not seem like a burden. Instead, it will be viewed as a source of security.
The sense of commitment implied in marriage will make a couple want to stay together through good times and bad and to be supportive of each other come what may. The Christian apostle Paul wrote that true love "bears all things" and "endures all things." (1 Corinthians 13:4, 7) "The commitment of marriage makes me feel more secure," says one woman. "I love the comfort of having admitted to ourselves and the world that we intend to stick together."-Ecclesiastes 4:9-12.
Living up to such a commitment requires maturity. Thus, Paul counsels that Christians do better not to marry until they are "past the bloom of youth," the period when sexual feelings run strong and can distort one's judgment. (1 Corinthians 7:36) Young people change rapidly as they grow up. Many who marry when very young find that after just a few years their needs and desires, as well as those of their mate, have changed. Statistics reveal that teenagers who marry are much more likely to be unhappy and seek divorce than those who wait a little longer. So do not rush into marriage. Some years spent living as a young, single adult can give you precious experience that will make you more mature and better qualified to be a suitable mate. Waiting to get married can also help you to understand yourself better, a necessity if you are to develop a successful relationship in your marriage.