Out of that mutual shaping and forming grows a culture of love. That culture of love and concern and commitment begins to shape you and your spouse—and on and on it goes. This is one dimension of what the Bible means by “the two become one.” Unfortunately, the same process applies to a bad marriage, except you and your partner are now shaping each other in negative ways. Instead of forming a culture of love, some couples form a toxic culture of tension, criticism, avoidance, poor communication, and
Page 19