Right Relationships

Come now, let us set things right, says the Lord. -- Isaiah 1:18

Activity: Download and listen to the song, "If I Had a Hammer." Discuss the tools we need to fix problems and relationships.

Yeah, absolutely not. I'm surprised there was no plug for a particular download site or artist. A little while ago, a friend of mine on Facebook posted an article about several couples who had been married for 50+ years, and the advice they give for such lasting marriages. One person commented on my friend's page that s/he "doesn't appreciate" that one of these couples characterized marriage as "work" because "I have enough work to do...I don't need more at home," and that there was nothing wrong with treating marriage like you were still dating. I didn't comment on this because I didn't want to start a stink with a complete stranger on my friend's Facebook page, but I couldn't disagree more. That comment characterizes 100% why half of all marriages today end in divorce. Because the reality of the situation is that marriage is work, and if you want it to last and to avoid the emotional and financial heartache that typically accompanies a divorce, you have to work on it!

To paraphrase C.S. Lewis from Mere Christianity, love isn't an emotion. It may start out that way; you feel loving towards someone, etc.; but lasting love is not an emotion. Emotions fade away; medicine tells us that feelings of joy and elation are caused by endorphins (brought on through various circumstances) that do inevitably go away after a certain period of time. So so-called everlasting love that characterizes a lasting marriage can't possibly be an emotion! Love is a decision. And that's why it can be so hard to make a marriage (or even a trying friendship) last! Every day, every hour you have to make a conscious decision to love another person. This can involve changing yourself, accepting what you cannot change, or making the other person aware of what has to change in order to make your relationship work. In other words, it's the Serenity Prayer lived out loud (and I did not start out typing with that in mind)!

This is longer than my other reflections, but this is something I feel particularly strongly about, probably because I am going to be married myself in slightly less than 4 months. If you have a spare moment, send a prayer my way that I will always make the right decision to love...

Prayer: Almighty God, we are broken and you are whole. Give us faith and love to repair the damage we do to each other.

~The Original Fong~
**You wish you could pull off being me**

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