When people get married, they don’t realize the importance of sharing one’s life with someone that doesn’t share the same faith, often leading to divorce. People make vows before God and think of their marriage as sacred. Nevertheless, they never believe that their relationship is going to be tested, and their conviction to stay married can suddenly shift.

Research data has shown that for half of the people that get married, religion or spirituality is a significant influence during the divorce decision making process. It is important to mention that not all the interviewed people mentioned religion as influencing their divorce decision-making process. We should not assume that faith is important to everyone getting divorced.

All things considered, while there is no magic formula to match a mismatched marriage, we must follow our Christian principles. We need to treat our partners just as if they were a believer. We need to love and respect them because that’s what God wants us to do; that is what He teaches us through the scripture. We don’t have to agree with every decision they make; we can express our concerns but always in a respectful and loving way. 

When you find yourselves in this type of conflicting opinions and beliefs about faith, instead of focusing on your partner and their reluctance to pursue the same spiritual growth, you need to learn how to strengthen the bond that brought you together in the first place. Having different beliefs doesn’t mean you have to stop relating in other areas. 

Continue to cultivate your relationship with God by praying and studying the Bible. Don’t try to change your partner; after all, this isn’t a preaching mission; the only way to win them over is through love and respect. God will provide you with the strength and the wisdom you need to be the person He wants you to be. 

We love because he first loved us. - 1 John 4:19