Marriage Success

Please define a successful marriage. Have you seen examples of a successful marriage?

How much of a successful marriage is a) picking the right person, or b) learning how to love each other or c) some other factor.

For example,

A successful marriage is 80% picking the right person and 20% love, or

A successful marriage is 30% picking the right person and 70% commitment

Do you think it’s wise to marry someone who is your “opposite”? Americans often say “opposites attract”. Do you agree? Do you think that “opposites” make good marriage partners - husband and wife? Why or why not? If you are married, are you opposite to your spouse or similar in key ways?

How important is money and a steady income in a successful marriage? Do husband and wife need to have the same philosophy of money? Is it possible to be poor AND happily married? Why or why not?

What’s the best way to meet a future spouse in your native country? When is the usual time for people to marry? What age is considered “old” or “young” for marriage? How long are people engaged before they get married?

Who does most of the wedding planning? Bride? Groom? Mother of the bride? Mother of the groom? Others? What are some of the usual parts of a wedding process in your native country? If you are married, describe the process of your own courtship and wedding. Do wedding guests give wedding presents? What are the usual kinds of wedding presents?

Have you thought about getting married in the future? What do you hope it will be like to be married? What will the wedding ceremony be like? Where do you want to live with your future spouse?

In the United States, we sometimes say that someone is “married to their job.” Do you have such a saying in your native culture? What does it mean?

One of the early church leaders writes that when the world is in turmoil, it may be better to stay single than to get married. Do you agree with his ideas?

“I don’t want you to have anything to worry about. A single man is concerned about the Lord’s matters. He wants to know how he can please the Lord. But a married man is concerned about the matters of this world. He wants to know how he can please his wife. His concerns pull him in two directions.

“A single woman is concerned about the Lord’s matters. She wants to serve the Lord with both body and spirit. But a married woman is concerned about the matters of this world. She wants to know how she can please her husband.”

1 Corinthians 7:32-34