8 Relationship Roadblocks that Sabotage Young Couples – Part 2

Roadblock #2: “We’re not ready for the challenges of marriage”

Action: Don’t make marriage harder than it is

 Some couples are indeed not ready for the challenges of marriage. If that’s true, please know it’s a good thing to wait. Give yourself that space.

But if the special person you’re dating might be the one, remember that marriage can be challenging no matter who and when we marry. Instead of using this roadblock as an excuse not to marry, young couples can and should plan for the challenges they’ll face.

One of the most vital tools is purposeful pre-marital counseling. Working through your church’s pre-marital program can help identify what you care about, and how you’ll handle crucial factors like conflict, in-laws, finances, and parenting. It can help you talk through how each of you think and feel in all sorts of ways, so you know each other better. (That’s why some counselors recommend my books For Women Only and For Men Only as roadmaps for helping couples understand each other.)

A young couple may have a few more challenges because they’re marrying young – but challenges can be worked through! We never want challenges, of course, but that is something else romantic comedies miss: There is something beautiful about a marriage that has gone through the fire and come out strong on the other side.