In certain cultures and races, early marriage is not only allowed but encouraged. A woman in year 2019 on a local radio station in Nigeria who campaigns against child marriage said she was married at age twelve years. May be it was her unhealthy experience that taught her certain lessons that early marriage should not be encouraged. According to her, she is a grandmother by age 40 years.

How can you rule this out or prevent this?

To become a woman before becoming a wife is necessary. Every culture or race engaged in this will benefit if an adjustment can be made.

What can you say a girl-wife has in store for a family? What does she know about love, marriage and managing a home? Is she not a novice? What does she have to offer her home except to increase the population of the society? If care is not taken, she will rather become part of the problems of the society instead of being a solution in it.

A girl-child is still under cares of her parents. Why should she assume responsibilities of a home maker?

To be a wife calls for having rights, duties and responsibilities towards a man (who is her husband) and children who are gifts from God. So, there is a ripe time to assume these rights, duties and responsibilities. So whoever is going to be a wife must be a fit and proper person to be so called. The burdens of marriage is so heavy that a little girl cannot bear them. She has no muscles and energy to lift them. If care is not taken, she can collapse under a heavy weight of marriage.

On the other hand, a girl-marriage puts the female involved at great risk. She has no time to prepare to acquire the needed training and experience. This vacuum will become so difficult to fill later, Ecclesiastes 3:1 reveals,
"To everything there is a season
A time for every purpose under heaven."

So it is with marriage.

There is a time to give birth to a child, there is time to nurse and nurture a girl to maturity to be able to take care of herself. A girl who is not ripe enough to care for herself, how can she take care of a home? Let us read a few of a virtuous woman's attributes,
"Who can find a virtuous woman?
For her worth is far above rubbies.
The heart of her husband safely trust her ;
So he will not have lack of gain.
She does him good and not evil
All the days of her life...
She is like the merchant ships,
She brings her food from afar.
She also rises while it is yet night
And provide food for her household.
And a portion for her maidservants. " Proverbs 31:10-12,14-15.

A careful examination of a wife's roles will convince you that marriage is not for girls but matured women.

There are two channels that leads to girl marriage. These are voluntary and forceful.

In a voluntary girl marriage, a girl chose to be married before the right time. She thinks on her own free volition that marriage is next on her agenda.

In a forced girl marriage, the parents or a power beyond the girl's control forces a girl into marriage before her matured time.

In either case, sudden death, divorce, or separation may be the final outcome. Where this is not so, the girl-wife may live the rest of her life in perpetual captivity.

Is this the purpose of marriage? The answer is "No!"

At God's appointed time, the girl would have become a woman who can fulfil God's plans and purposes for marriage in her life and home. Marriage is not meant for people with immatured minds. It should not be rushed into. It must be undertaken with care at the right time.

Stay blessed and prepared for the imminent coming of the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Author is the set man of CTFM(WORLD OUTREACH)and Presiding Pastor of Christ Restland Gospel Church.He is a Poet and author of many books. Visit his blogsites www.4thlink.wordpress.com and www.peacelink.wordpress.com for more quality contents.