Marriage is a life commitment Couples should not enter married life unprepared for the commitment it requires. In my sessions we discuss current issues and areas of married life that you should be discussing before you reach the alter.
As you approach one of the biggest and most significant days of your life, your heart is full of love, hope, joy, and great expectations, and also a little, or a lot, of anxiety. Such feelings are normal, especially before making such a serious commitment as giving yourself to one another in marriage. Some topics listed below will be addressed that are important to marriage preparation and to a healthy marriage. If you are planning to be married or have been married for many years, these key points may be of interest to you. Marriage for Life Ministry can help you explore the meaning of marriage.
The Meaning of Marriage: When in or approaching marriage, people seek to find meaning and happiness in their lives. Deep in our hearts, most of us come to realize that to find this meaning and happiness we must first encounter the gift of love and then make a sincere gift of ourselves for the good of others. We cannot live without love and our lives are senseless if we do not find love and make it our own. This is the great truth of who we are as men and women created in the image and likeness of God, who is the true meaning of love. Since we bear this divine image, each of us longs for the personal friendship and communion with God and with others.
Marriage, like all Relationships, has many challenges. Love is patient, love is kind. It is not jealous, love is not pompous, it is not inflated, it is not rude, it does not seek its own interest, it is not quick tempered, it is not anger, it does not rejoice over wrong doings, but it is truth. You must first love yourself to love another. Love another as you would have them love you. If love well is the work of a lifetime, and a good marriage is the fruit of a lifetime of work. When a couple begins their life journey together, they do not appreciate the challenges, both great and small, that await them. Love together, laugh together, cry together and don't forget to pray together. God is always with you, through all the trials and tribulations, but don't forget he is also there in the peace and joy.
Communication is the Key. Relationships, how do they grow? How does a personal relationship between couples become deeper and stronger as the years go by, as it must if their marriage is to be happy and have meaning? Communication. The essential element is great communication, especially on matters important to the marriage and the family.
Marriage Counseling The trials of married life can sometimes be too difficult to over come and couples find themselves frustrated, lost, no communication with each other, and even no longer wanting to be with one another. Too often these feelings are the result of issues that can be resolved by also all to often an intervention is needed if the marriage is to survive. Marriage for Life ministry can help. We are never too busy to help a couple in need.
Spiritual Reading Material
Counseling Before Marriange is a Necessity, Not an Option Rev. Dr. Isaac Arkew www.christianbookstore.com
The Return of the Prodigal Son Henri J. M. Nouwen www.henrinouwen.org
The Purpose Driven Life Rick Warren www.prposedrivenlife.com
The Lover and the Beloved John Michael Talbot www.ohnmichaeltalbot.com
Joshua in a Troubled Work Joseph F. Girzone www.randomhouse.com
