by Victoria Tiegert

Created on: January 14, 2009

Marriage is the biggest commitment that you will ever make. It is for life and the price that you pay is unlimited. Sure, there are rewards and it can also be the most wonderful part of your life, but it is not something to enter into lightly. Although most people do marry at one point in their life or another, that doesn't mean that it's right for every one of them. In fact, most end up divorcing at one point or another, too. Marriage is not for everyone! There are several reasons that some people should avoid marriage like the plague and acknowledge that it doesn't make them bad people.

Marriage takes an incredible amount of sacrifice. It requires that a person put another's needs before their own and esteem them higher than themselves. When two people come together to share their lives who both are willing to do this, it works out wonderfully, but it has to be a two-way street. Otherwise, there will be a situation where one person is doing all the giving and the other is doing all the taking. Selflessness is the key in a successful marriage. Eventually, the giver will run out of give and the taker will find themselves alone.

There is no greater commitment than the one you will make to another person that you take as your husband or wife. You should really assess yourself honestly to decide if you have what it takes to stay faithful and committed for life to one other person. Are you "monogamously challenged"? If so, stay single and avoid the heartbreak that you will most assuredly cause another person if you don't.

When we marry, we are dedicating our lives to another person without having a clue as to what awaits us. All those lines about for better or worse, in sickness and health, richer or poorer are in those vows for a reason. Take the time to think about them before you say them. Will you really stay with someone in the worst of times? Are you willing to set aside your own dreams to care for a spouse who ends up getting very sick for a long period of time? Anything could happen in the unknown future that you are signing up to share and if you aren't willing to accept that as a possibility that you would endure with your spouse, don't get one.

Some people in this world want to remain young forever, or at least as long as possible. This level of maturity does not lend itself well to the commitment and sacrifice needed to make a successful marriage. If you still want to be the life of the party, go ahead, but don't try to do it with a husband or wife in tow. Worse yet, don't try to do it while you have one waiting for you at home, possibly with a few little ones.

Marriage is not an institution that should be entered into lightly. It is not something to do because it is what everyone expects. You will regret it if you do. Not everyone has to marry and there are plenty of people who are much happier without a partner for life. Consider long and hard if you have what it takes to succeed at this most sacred of promises before you take those vows. You may be saving yourself, as well as your potential spouse, a great deal of unhappiness.

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