TL

“It was all the “little” things where his will and his decisions overrode mine that took away my personality. I do not believe that God gave husbands the “right” to override their wife’s will by unilaterally having the final say in these “little” disagreements.”

Cheryl,
You are right that this is where a woman or anyone will die and lose herself. It reminds me of the movie (eternal bride to be or something??) where the woman so attuned herself to the man’s desires that she lost herself. She no longer knew what she wanted, what she liked, what she wanted to be. She had enmeshed herself into her husband to be’s will in order to please him, so she no longer had any herself. And she’d make it to the alter but never would complete the vows. She unconsciously knew she was losing herself, but didn’t quite get it. Then one day a man she was falling in love with challenged her to get to know herself again and find out what she wanted out of life. He refused to marry her unless she was a whole individual person herself. Smart man. She rediscovered herself and came to him as a whole person. And at that wedding she made it through the wedding vows.

When we marry it is supposed to be two whole and healthy individuals. As two whole individuals we complement each other and bless each other so that as two good friends our personalities positively affect each other as stones tumbling together. This is how marriage helps us to grow.