Many times, we have young girls come in who are living with their boyfriends.  While we talk with them, sometimes they seem semi-remorseful about their actions, but I don't think many plan on changing what they are doing.  Do they really think that living together is wrong?  Would they actually move out because of principle?

I just wonder how we became so confused on what should be acceptable.  Let me begin by saying that I lived with my husband before we were married.  We didn't really think we were doing anything too wrong and we thought that we could save money by only having one rent payment instead of two.  What we didn't realize is how our actions would affect our future.  Not even talking about the mess we would have been in if we would have broken up or if we would have gotten pregnant, this decision hurt our marriage in ways that we could never have guessed.  In today's society it is to so acceptable to live with a significant other before you are married.  In some cases, people feel like they wouldn't marry someone UNLESS they had lived with them.  My question is:  If living together is totally acceptable today, what is supposed to be special about marriage?  If you can just move in together and have a sexual relationship, share the bills, have kids, sleep in the same bed...why would anyone get married? 

When I was little I used to dream about someone really special.  He would be my prince charming.  Then, one day, we would have a beautiful wedding with flowers, fancy clothes, romantic music, and all our friends and family together.  After the wedding, we would go to our new home, he would carry me over the threshold and we would embark on a new adventure together of getting to know each other all over again.   I would learn that he leaves the lid off the toothpaste and he would finally see me in the morning without make-up.  Everything that is supposed to be a new adventure when you are married.  BUT, in one stupid decision, I erased that entire picture from my mind.  We still had the wedding and the dress, but when we arrived at our home for the first time as husband and wife there was...nothing.  It was old habit.  No adventure.  What was the point of getting married if nothing changed.  There is something special about traveling on that path of adventure called being married together.  it is the first building block of learning to grow and become together.  Because we prematurely started that adventure, our marriage suffered the first year we were married.  It is only through the grace of God that we worked through that time and He kept us together.  We had taken away from the significance of marriage because we had rushed to move in together.

My whole point is think about the special moments from your life.  What day have you always pictured in your mind.  Each decision we make affects the rest of our lives.  No matter how well thought out or rationalized or acceptable that decision may seem...ultimately, it can change your life.  Make sure you are making decisions because they are the right thing for you and your future AND because it is the will of God, not just because they are acceptable to a backward society.