"Surprise! Surprise!"

So at the end of last year, I was privileged to have one of my articles published in a Magazine named ReFresh! in Hamilton,Ontario Canada. I thought I should share the article with you, praying unmarried woman . 

When you are dating a man, things tend to have a different norm than when you say “I DO”. I know you may have heard that a million times from your mother and/or experienced married couples- but marriage and dating are incomparable! 

Certain attributes of your spouse, will begin to surface when you are married and sometimes you may wonder “Is this the same person I dated?” Although courting tries to eliminate a number of questions you have about your future husband, some of these answers would be revealed to you ONLY once you share the same roof. (That is not to say that you should co-habit before marriage). Some habits that your spouse has developed have been with him for years, and when you are married you will begin to discover them. (Some you will appreciate and others, not so much). Bottom line is this: when you get married you will have to relearn your partner.

Everyone has different facets to themselves and they are as follows:

The Known Self:  The part of yourself that you are aware of (thoughts and actions) and the part your spouse reveals to you. This side of him you can discover through observation.

The Unknown Self: The part of yourself that you do not know about which lies in the unconscious. This side appears when you have thoughts, feelings and display behavior that don’t   “seem to be quite like you”.

The Hidden Self: The part that keeps all the secret and the things you hope no one finds out about you (thoughts, experiences, feelings). This part you do not share.

The Blind Self: Habits that you are unaware of but are obvious to others. A common example of this is chewing loudly when enjoying a meal; this may seem harmless to you and almost unnoticeable but may irritate those around you.

Pray for God to reveal each side of your potential spouse during the period of courtship -as to have all the information you need before you say “yes” to the groom.     Also pray that he may give you the strength to endure your spouse’s habits when they are revealed to you during the course of your marriage.

"Refresh is a annual magazine printed in Restoration House, Hamilton - a ministry of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG). RCCG was founded in 1952 and currently has over 6000 parishes around the world."