Being Faithful To Your Future Spouse: Faithfulness Begins Before You Meet

by Tom Houck

Most of the boyfriend/girlfriend relationships we see today do not match the type of relationship needed to translate into a successful marriage. Those relationships are usually not created for the right purpose, nor do they contain the right kind of preparation or practice. Going from these types of relationships into a marriage relationship is extremely difficult. As a result of this inconsistency, there ends up being a lot of repair work that needs to be done after the marriage ceremony. If a person really loves his/her future spouse, then certainly that person would not want to conduct any relationships prior to marriage in a way that would cause them problems after their wedding. A major contradiction found in those inconsistent relationships is faithfulness. Faithfulness is the lifetime commitment to remain emotionally and physically devoted to only one person and is one of the requirements of marriage that should be practiced prior to entering it. Under a worldly standard, it really doesn’t matter how many boyfriends/girlfriends a person has before he/she gets married. But the truth is, having a boyfriend/girlfriend relationship with someone you will never marry is contrary to being faithful to the one you will eventually marry. Why? • Because you are giving away pieces of your heart. • Creating memories from emotional and physical attachments. These can become baggage to be carried into a marriage. For this reason, a boyfriend/girlfriend relationship should be reserved only for a person’s future spouse.

88 pages, Paperback

First published March 6, 2013

Reviews

[Hannah S · Rating 2 out of 5]

I appreciate the author's focus on being intentional and waiting on the Lord in relationships, but I'm not sure I agree with his point that being in a girlfriend/boyfriend relationship that does not result in marriage is being unfaithful to your future spouse.

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent, insightful read. Very practical and easy to understand!

[Luke · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the most straightforward books regarding a conservative approach to romance. Many books of this nature tell the reader to wait on God, but leave them hanging. This book doesn't do that. It expounds on the author's beliefs about the specifics of how to end up married after waiting on God's timing for romance in the earlier stages of life. It also covers the pain of an impure past in and what to do about it. It gives practical, real-world advice through and through, and is in no way outdated. It's a fairly short read, but packed full of solid, useful discussion. I would recommend this book for kids wondering how they should approach romance in a way that honors God. It's simple and to the point, cutting out a lot of the fluff you get from other books about Christian courtship.

[Clare S-B · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is nice and short and to the point. It is insightful and based on scripture. It explains Faithfullness before you meet well.