Do You Remember Your Marriage Vows?
No matter what culture or religion you come from, when two partners unite in marriage, they make a vow to each other. Your marriage vows carry much more weight than just words. It is a shame how many say the words without really understanding what those vows mean for their marital life together.
Vows are special words that will unite you and they represent your commitment to one another. They express how the couple intend to relate to each other, how they intend to navigate the path of life together, and what meaning they intend to give to their marriage.
Do you take [name] to be your lawful wedded wife/husband?"
Out of all of the people you have dated, you have made the deliberate choice to commit to this person to spend the rest of your life with. You chose this person to be your partner because you love what you know of them and look forward to getting to know them deeper.
Several years down the line, when you are looking at your spouse doing something you’ve told him or her a million times not to do, remember all the wonderful reasons that you chose him or her as your life partner.
"Do you promise to love and cherish [her/him], in sickness and in health?
There are no guarantees in life. We do not know what the future holds. Should your partner become ill, disabled, or suffer dementia, you have promised to care for and protect them in sickness and in health.
You and your partner are promising to provide a healthy relationship, where each partner is respected for who they are, accepting the differences and encouraging the individuality. You both care committing to allow and encourage the other to become who they truly are without restricting them and without attempting to conform them to your expectations, desires and preconceptions.
"Do you promise to love and cherish [her/him], for richer and poorer?
Every partner wants their spouse to do well and excel, but they may not always be ready for the longer working hours and maybe late nights that it requires to get to that point.
If your partner fails in a venture, you promise to cherish them ,which literally means to “build them up.” Each person will become a better person because of the love and support of the other.
On the other hand, financial pressures can put a huge strain on a marriage. If the two of you struggle to make ends meet with both salaries combined, you are promising that you will be there for each other, to work together to make it work.
"Do you promise to love and cherish [her/him], for better for worse?
We cannot enter marriage with the hope that everything will get better, because then the question becomes what if it doesn’t get better? It means that even when things get worse, you will still choose to love your partner. You promise to love each other through good times and bad, regardless of the obstacles you may face together.
In times of joy and in times of sorrow, in times of failure and in times of triumph, you commit to hold your partner as a precious treasure, to comfort and encourage them. and nourish
This pledge to nurture each other is the foundation of your marriage that builds the trust in each other that allow you and your partner to give and receive deep emotional intimacy.
"Do you promise to love and cherish [her/him], forsaking all others, keep yourself only unto her/him?
You promise to love, cherish and respect your partner. You are promising to give yourself to each other as a faithful husband, wife, or spouse, no matter what. You are reserving yourself for intimate relations only with our spouse. You are trusting your heart to them and promising to take care of their heart.
In forsaking all others, you are also committing to not just be there for that person but to support them in whatever needs they may have. You are committing to make this person come first and to always put this person before another’s needs.
"Do you promise to love and cherish [her/him], for so long as you both shall live?"
When you enter this marriage, it is a lifetime commitment. It means that even when everything goes wrong, you will still be there. I You promise to treasure your marriage and your partner more each day than you did the day before. You will trust each other, respect each other, laugh together, cry together and grow old with your spouse throughout all the seasons of life.