Falling in Love while heading towards Marriage is a beautiful thing. In fact, it appears to many that the closest thing to Heaven is a Good Marriage whereas the closest thing to hell is a bad marriage. However, even a Marriage made in Heaven requires serious intentional maintenance on Earth from both parties involved (Gen. 2:24). This work includes such important tasks as submission to mentors in Marriage, Commitment to Spiritual Maturity, walking in Agape Love, Personal Development, a strong resolve to abide by Kingdom Principles, becoming a Peace maker in times of conflicts, swallowing our ego while acknowledging our faults in Humility of heart as well apologizing to your spouse etc.
Having established the aforementioned fact, it is important to note that there are always Two Sides to every Marriage and it takes a certain level of intentionality to determine which side comes to the foreground:
1. THE SWEET SIDE: This side involves the romantic tender loving care expressed through hugging, kissing, romance, sweet word via texts or calls with your spouse, spending quality time together, exchange of gifts, going out on dates and all other pleasures which undergird Love.
2. THE BITTER SIDE: This is that side that involves negative emotions stirred up by the toxicity, the hurts, the misunderstandings, unmet expectations in Marriage, the short-comings, weaknesses, the interferences from the third parties especially in-laws, ex-lovers, financial challenges, Communication problems, lack of sexual satisfaction etc. From all indications, an inability to handle this other side of Marriage is one major reason why many Marriages are suffering and many have already failed, becoming the greatest nightmares of many unprepared couples in Holy Matrimony.
The sad reality is that while most people focus on preparing for the wedding ceremony, (an event that lasts for no more than a few hours) very few actually think, plan and prepare adequately for the Marriage proper which is a life-long Process. The irony here is that most weddings are successful because they are adequately prepared for but many Marriages are falling apart due to a lack of proper preparation, training and mentorship (Tit. 2:1-6; 1 Pet. 5:5). The Lord God Almighty took His Time to prepare the Patriarch Joseph to be able to handle the Seven Years of Abundance (symbolic of the Sweet Side of Marriage) in Potiphar’s house as well as Seven Years of Scarcity/Famine (symbolic of the Bitter Side of Marriage) in prison (Gen. 39-40). This is a Template that would properly guide and encourage us through the rough patches that await us on the Pathway to Marital Success.