What are the signs that God might be calling me to marriage?

Here are some signs that might show you are called to be married. As with any signs, they need to be interpreted carefully, and understood in the context of your whole life and all that is happening to you. This is not a checklist of essential requirements, it is simply an indication of some of the ways that God might be guiding you in your life. The overall pattern and the deepest pulls will show you which direction is right for you.

A desire to be married

Perhaps you have always wanted to be married. The desire was there when you were a child, and it has never left you. Or as you have grown older, and thought more about vocation and the future, you realise that above all else you would love to be married. You imagine yourself as a husband or wife and it brings you great peace and joy. You long to love someone and to be loved by them, and to make that love the centre of your life and vocation.

A desire to have children

You would love to have a family, to have children of your own. Despite all the difficulties and sacrifices of raising children, the desire is there deep in your heart. You can imagine yourself being a father or mother, taking on that role in different ways, relating to your children in all their different stages of life. When you think of yourself as a parent, even if there is some trepidation, it comes with a sense of peace and excitement. But you also have to remember that children are a gift to a couple, and there is no guarantee that you will have children even if you get married. What matters is that you are open to this gift: open in your heart before you get married, and open to new life in your sexual union after you get married.