"Marriage is Crafted, Not Found"

I believe full-heartedly in the heading of this post. Marriage is not a passive activity. Each spouse has to take an active part in building the relationship and creating the family. One of the biggest predictors of a successful marriage is how the dating process went. My teacher, Brother Williams, made a wise observation:

"Casual dating, courtship, and engagement lead to a casual marriage."

If we do not take an active part during the dating process, the chances of a proactive marriage coming from this kind of dating style are very slim. As with all things in life, we have the choice to determine which way we want our lives to go. If we want a successful, loving, co-dependant relationship, we can make that happen! But that is no possible way for that to occur if we move like water down the path of least resistance.

Too many people slide from step to step instead of making clear distinct movements forward in their relationships. This sliding dramatically increases the chances of the marriage sliding all over the place as well. Things do not magically happen once the marriage ordinance is performed. How you are before marriage is how you will be after marriage. Marriage is not the magical remedy to you or your spouse's problems. If the relationship needs improving, marriage cannot fix that. The individuals are the ones to fix this.

I invite you to take an active role in your relationship, marriage, and life. An excellent marriage begins with excellent and clearly defined dating, courtship, and engagement.