Impact of Past Relationships

Lynsi Snyder-Ellingson and her husband, Sean, share how thankful they are for God’s grace and the joy of doing ministry together.

Gil and Brenda Stuart brought memories, habits and history into their new marriage. They learned the importance of acknowledging the associated emotions and being able to talk about them.

Addressing sexual struggles, including pornography, before you say, “I do” is critical to the future of your marriage. But how do you tell your future spouse about your struggle with pornography?

Most spouses have no idea the person they married was addicted to pornography before marriage. In almost every case there were red flags the fiances could have seen if they’d known what to look for.

Everyone brings baggage from past relationships, but you can pull from the strengths you’ve gained from your past — maturity, patience, wisdom, godliness — to build a new marriage and family.

Give children permission to remember their – sometimes painful – past.

In John 5, Jesus heals a crippled man and then tells him to pick up his mat and walk. Can our “mats” help us be grateful to and dependent on God—even in marriage?

If you experienced a low level of contentment as a single, expecting marriage to propel you to marital bliss probably won’t happen.

Divorce If your friend was married before, it’s vital to consider what happened in that former relationship and what factors were involved that caused the commitment to be broken. Society views remarriage as a given, but the Bible speaks to this important issue. Focus on the Family believes that Scripture addresses three specific situations in …

God intended sexuality to be a wonderful gift for married couples. Remarriage presents some unique barriers to sexual intimacy, but each of them can be overcome.