MARRIAGE PLANNING PART THREE 

When two people get together, they form a team and should have one goal in mind--to serve God more effectively. This way they advance in their spiritual lives and please God at the same time. Unity breeds harmony. Harmony brings peace and order. Trust in God and ask His help before proceeding with caution. Choose wisely. Weight the pros and cons, pray on it, and then make your move. Proper consideration before a jump into marriage is a well-thought leap of faith. You won't totally know the person you are about to marry until the rest of your life unfolds.(It may take a whole lifetime to get to know one another!) But do your best to get to know something important about each other before you do. Marriage can be compared to buying a car; you can take it out on a date, but until you buy it and take it home,  you won't get to know fully how it works and operates on a daily basis. Marriage ia a life long committment. You will eventually notice each others weaknesses and strengths, habits and manners. You may get some surprises! But also some disapointments that both should work on resolving or accepting,depending on what it is. Remember to always ask God's help. Prayer and the sacraments should be a top priority as well as responsibility to each other and future children should take presidence.

Consider also what your family and close friends have to say. They know you more than anyone about your mood swings, your habits, your likes and dislikes, your hopes and dreams, your temperament, and maybe even a few well-kept secrets. They can certainly guide you on the right path, and give you a feeling if you both are ready or even compatible. The priest will also give you advice on this matter as long as you tell him all the facts he needs to know in order to guide you adequately thru the path of love.

So what about when the going gets rough? Is the marriage over? Is the romance gone? Well, marriage is not a fairytale that many will and do think. True love grows over time. Some people think it is over when the honeymoon fades. Well that honeymoon doesn't last for many and one should hopefully not jumped into marriage thinking that it will be a dream. Love grows with giving and prayer goes with sacrifice. From thence will the reward of a growing love and a true satisfaction blossom. True love will only be realized when it is tested. Infatuation will fade and reality always sets in. When we find a fault or defect in another, we should not get too upset or discouraged. We should not try to change a person from who he or she is to what we want in an ideal but accept and work to make life better for both. Remember the perfect man/woman does not exist in reality. That is an idea, a concept. We married a person we were interested in and not a robot who can't think. Work together, work for God and family.

In closing, lets look at marriage as a joint effort on this path to heaven!

Melissa