The foundation of a building is its most critical element. Whenever you admire an impressive structure, remember that a considerable investment was made in its foundation. Without a strong foundation, any investment in the building is sitting on a ticking time bomb. It won’t be long before everything begins to crumble. The strength of a building’s foundation determines how well it can endure life’s challenges. A solid foundation allows the structure to withstand harsh conditions and stand the test of time. It won’t budge easily.
Therefore, a robust foundation is essential not just for the building itself, but also for the safety of its occupants. If a foundation is poorly constructed, time will reveal its flaws. Weather conditions, such as rain and strong winds, will test its integrity. A building with a weak foundation is simply an accident waiting to happen. There’s no point in investing a fortune in an extravagant home if its foundation is unstable. You would essentially be throwing money away!
Every marriage, much like a building, has a foundation. Time will test the stability of the foundation on which every relationship is built. A relationship that rests on a weak foundation can easily collapse. A knot tied with feeble threads will only fray further over time. When you observe a thriving marriage, recognize that it is anchored in strong roots. When you see a couple whose marriage seems to be the best thing in their lives, understand that it all began with a significant investment in their foundation. Anyone who is serious about having a great marriage knows that the secret lies in building a strong foundation!
Our churches are filled with joy every weekend, as beaming couples walk down the aisle, filled with hope for an everlasting union. Almost everyone shares in their happiness. Their trendy styles and striking fashion choices spark conversations on social media. Unfortunately, many of these smiles do not last long enough.
They leave the altar with a “happily-ever-after” package instead of a “happily-ever-after” one. They wonder if the priest mentioned “For better, For worse” because all they experience is “For bitter, For worse”. Their spouses not only make them bitter. They make them worse than they even entered the matrimony. Their expectations are shattered.
They feel shortchanged. To them, great marriages are only a façade because what they are experiencing is nothing short of a nightmare. You see, there is no secret to having a great marriage. The truth is, what works for others may not even work for you. Like success, you need to find what works particularly for you. However, regardless of what path you find, character can never be ignored. I have no idea of the formula for a successful marriage. No matter what that equation may be, however, character cannot ever be overlooked.
Character is the foundation on which every marriage sits ― good character. When you trace all the reasons for the overwhelming rates of divorces, most (if not all) come down to character. Character is integrity. It means honouring your vows. Character is what makes a man treat a woman as he would have had his sister treated. Character means resilience. It means love and respect. Character is tolerance. It is what will make one treat a holy matrimony as holy!
It is such an irony to see a generation that is serious about weddings have an equal measure of seriousness for divorce. Some products on the market today even have a longer shelf life than some marriages. Thanks to people who will spend a fortune building the mansion of their marriage [wedding], yet spend only a little on their character, the foundation. Every flourishing marriage you see out there has an underlying secret of character.
A couple cannot live under the same roof if they have not developed, for instance, the character of love and respect for each other, regardless of each other’s imperfections. You see, when it has all been said and done, the ties that bind a couple together are not whether their wedding was big or small. Character is the bond that binds them as a couple. When couples-to-be pay attention to everything but character, they are only pre-signing their divorce documents.
Character is the foundation. Good character is a strong foundation that can withstand all of life’s pressures. Life will crumble every foundation of good looks or possessions. When heaven and earth have passed away, what will remain is that foundation of character. Do great marriages still exist in this age? Do we still have, honestly, faithful spouses? Do we still have submissive married women living on earth? Yes, we do! Yes, there are! And… it always comes down to the foundation of character.
The days of a relationship that sits on a weak foundation are numbered. The centre can never hold, no matter what. A marriage built on a foundation of lies will soon be overgrown with weeds of mistrust. A relationship moulded on a foundation of pleasing people will soon be another communal labour project because you would always want to satisfy society, even at your dissatisfaction!
When you come across a couple whose marriage has negatively affected them, ask about the foundation of their relationship. Similarly, if you find people who have nothing positive to say about marriage, investigate the foundation of their marriages. It often boils down to character traits that may have been overlooked in the name of love.
Character is like skin color; no matter what, it cannot be concealed. It is the defining factor of a good spouse, not their physical appearance. When you marry a good partner, you gain a prayer ally. However, if you marry a bad one, you’ve just found a lifelong prayer concern. A good spouse becomes a prayer partner, while a bad one becomes a source of constant prayer.
Believe me, you wouldn’t want to live under the same roof with a prayer concern for the rest of your life. The foundation of the relationship is what truly matters. If you ignore it, you may find yourself in a situation that leads to bitterness. Cheers!
