Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Christian Podcast Central

Home
Evangelical - Sponsored
Blending Your Stepfamily: The Marriage Covenant

Blending Your Stepfamily: The Marriage Covenant

Last updated on: February 24, 2016 at 4:24 am by Christian Podcast Central

Blending Your Stepfamily: The Marriage Covenant 2016-02-24T04:24:19-08:00 Christian Podcast Central

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Blending Your Stepfamily: The Marriage Covenant Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

The family dynamics of blended families are unlike any other. My husband and I have weathered many storms and have come out on the other side – together! Now, I’d like to share a few pearls of wisdom with you.

But before we launch into them, keep in mind 1 Corinthians 1:3-4, which says:

3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.

So, let’s start by addressing the Marriage Covenant. A covenant is a promise that you enter into willingly. Vows are made to promise against future events such as “in sickness or in health”, “for richer or poorer”, or “for better or for worse”. Marriage is the only relationship you enter into with a covenant, and this covenant is meant to last until one of you dies. There’s nothing like it. Therefore it has got to become and remain the most important relationship in your family.

Now, this may sound selfish or very foreign to parents with children, but if your marriage doesn’t survive and thrive, the family (namely your kids) won’t prosper. In fact, your family will fall apart.

You see, your kids need healthy role models. They need daily proof that marriage can last a lifetime and it can be good and rewarding – even if it’s a second marriage.

If all they see is divorce and the wounds from it, they will have a very low regard for marriage and may never get married at all.

“Re-marrieds with Children” have a very high divorce rate of about 67%. The children of these families have already had their original home fractured and witnessed their birth-parents’ divorce. So we need to be all the more steadfast in protecting the covenant of our new marriage in order to restore the value of marriage within our new family.

In the case of most “first marriages”, the foundation is built by just the husband and the wife. It’s easy to bond with your spouse because there are significantly fewer obstacles than in remarriages with children. However, in the case of blended families, the dynamics are immensely more complicated with all the different aspects and input from children, exes, in-laws and much more. Therefore, both spouses must make a firmly grounded and often expressed decision to show that the words, “Til death do us part” have real meaning.

Here are some strategies and techniques on how to make and keep your marriage covenant: 1) The marriage NEEDS to be worked at. It won’t “just happen”. There are too many distractions between work, the kids’ schedules, ministry, friends, school, etc. You’ve got to remember the things you did when you first fell in love and don’t lose touch of what bonded and continues to bond you together. 2) Support each other in your new roles. Becoming a stepdad or stepmom isn’t an easy task. You will need one another to work together in defining and honing the new role in relationship to the children. It’s also vital to continually show your kids that your new spouse is here to stay. This will help your kids to better accept them if they believe that your relationship will last. 3) Don’t let anyone or anything come in between you and your spouse. Not the kids, your work, your parents, former in-laws. No one.

And finally, If you need help, by ALL means, get it!

For more encouraging and engaging podcasts and videos, visit the E-Squared Media Network at www.e2medianetwork.com

Uncategorized

blended families

christian family podcast

christian family relationship podcast

christian relationship advice

christian relationship podcast

christianity

forgiveness

grace

how to have a godly step family

Previous Post

October 1, 2014

Real Stuff My Dad Says 61: The True Secret to Parenting Well!

Next Post

October 2, 2014 Jesus in HD 83: Oh.My.Word.

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Brad Stine Has Issues Christian Podcast Central Classic Podcast Experience God Life Grounded Ouxano Parent Like You Mean It The Protest Show with Thor Ramsey The Summit Lecture Series Uncategorized What You’ve Been Searching For

Select a Month July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 June 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz