And the Two Become as One
Marriage Changes Your Lives It is a fairly common belief that if you live together before you get married nothing will really change in your relationship after the wedding. While it is true that you do work out the logistics of sharing space and the beginnings of sharing your lives, the vowed commitment that you make with the promise to stay together changes the way you think about your relationship.
While relationships change and many times, in our culture, change in ways that make the couple part, it's never simple once you have made that vow. That vow to stay together, to work things out, to be married to each other, is really a covenant. A covenant is a sealed contract, in this case a contract to become as one in relationship. That does not mean giving up who you are individually but agreeing to be a part of something bigger than you as an individual.
It may not seem so different immediately, but there is a subtle change. This change means you can't just get up and walk away without affecting your life, the life of your partner, and the lives of those around you. It tears apart that which has been made one into two.
Marriage is not just a one time event, it is something you make together for as long as you are together; and even if you decide to be separate again, your lives have changed. The affects of that commitment stay with you. That relationship remains forever part of who you are.
Artwork: Brian Exton Art
