Marriage Expectations

     All married couples start out believing their marriage will be great. Problems arise when our expectations are not met. Here are some expectations that are not true:
–  my partner will met all my needs for companionship.
– if he really loved me, he’d know what I need.
– my partner’s interest in sex will be the same as mine.
– love is all you need for a great marriage.
– less romance means we have less love for one another.
– it is better to keep silent about something bothering me than to cause problems in our
marriage.
– keeping secrets about my past or present is acceptable if it would only cause pain to my
spouse.
– having children, buying a house in a certain neighborhood or in a certain amount of time,
etc.

     Which of these statements are you tempted to believe? Prayerfully, write out a list of your marriage expectations. Come back in a few days to look at it. Which ones seem unrealistic? Which ones should you communicate with your spouse about? Which ones can only God do?