A Tale of Two Houses Pt#4

This story is meant to illustrate a few key things that I think pertain to the building of marriages in the building the relationships. In this story, both brothers were given the same resources and opportunities. In the end they had very different outcomes, even though their houses went through the same experiences. 

So what was the difference?  Starting with the foundations. If we go through life and learn a simple lesson that will help us get through rough experiences, it is this. That no matter how perfect we think a situation is, circumstances always change. 

If we build our structure on something that is not stable, it will compromise the whole structure. So likewise in a relationship, what foundation are we starting with?  Guys, do we select a girl because she has a pretty face?  Girls do we choose a guy because he has a muscular build?  What if the other person has money, or nice clothes, or a nice car?  When I state it this way, it makes the answer really obvious. 

So what if the other person has a great personality and is great to talk to?  Well, personalities change too. So that's a weak ground to build on too. 

So where do we start?  We need to start with our foundation. What are we grounded on? What is important to us?  What are we basing our faith on?  What are we basing our characters on?  See the strong foundation has to be built on sound principles. Something that doesn't waver or move with every wind.

Before we can start a lasting relationship with someone else, we need to build our own character. We need to have a character that is firmly planted on integrity, determination, kindness, steadfastness, honesty, love, faithfulness, chastity, virtue, cleanness and truth. If our own character is not stable, no relationship we enter into will be stable either.

Just like the story I just told, William built his house more focused and determined upon the structure of the house than he did on the outward facade. Benjamin was more focused on making a good outward impression. But just as beauty does not make a stronger house, outward appearances don't make a strong relationship. 

One simple fact that will always happen is that no matter how strong you build, storms will always come. They may not always be what you are expecting, but there will be storms that will try your relationship. How well we weather those storms depends a lot on how well we are prepared. It also depends a lot on how much we choose to let God be a part of this process, since if we will consult him and ask him, he knows all about the conditions we will face, and if we seek him first before we begin, he will help us.