It’s always a welcoming idea to find couples who have made an obvious success in marriage, share out of their experiences with younger people.
Speaking from her many years of experience, Pastor (Mrs) Faith Abiola Oyedepo opines that love is not magical. In a new episode on “Family Matters” on her official website, she spoke extensively on the topic, “Loveand Marriage.”
According to the 60-year-old mom-of-4 who is also many times a grand-mom, and who will be celebrating 36 years in marriage on August 21, 2018; “just as love is a major requirement for making your marriage successful, it is never a magical or mysterious emotion that two people fall into or out of, for no apparent reason.”
Faith, who is married to the 63-year old founder and presiding bishop of the 50,000 capacity megachurch, Faith Tabernacle, Ota, Ogun State and the Living Faith Church Worldwide also known as Winners’ chapel, Bishop DavidOlaniyiOyedepo, added that a loving relationship with your spouse must be nurtured.
”To start with, what is love? The Advanced Learner’s Dictionary defines love as warm liking or affection. It is also described as affectionate devotion.
Love is a major requirement for making your marriage successful. It is the major material required in building and transforming your house into a home. Someone said, “Love is what makes a house a home.”
The love I am talking about, however, is not the type of love the world has to offer which says, “If you love me I will love you in return.”
The type of love I am talking about, is God’s kind of love. It is from the Greek word “AGAPE.” This love is unconditional. It is the kind of love that says, “In spite of your faults, in spite of your shortcomings, I love you all the same.”
Just as God did not wait for us to be perfect before sending His Son to die for us, we are not to lay down conditions for our spouse, children, friends and neighbours before we could love them.
In a world where every man seems to be looking out for his own welfare and no one else’s, marriage disintegrating like a pack of cards, children being neglected and abused in various ways, the need for this love cannot be overemphasized.
Love is never a magical or mysterious emotion that two people fall into or out of, for no apparent reason. The truth is: loving relationships must be nurtured. They take work. Love is care and consideration directed toward another person, not just an ethereal emotion.
The work involved in building and preserving the marital bond, is well worth the time and effort. Husbands and wives, who are committed to this positive process, often describe their mates as their best friends. This is simply another way of describing the kind of bond God desires for every marriage.
Husband and wife must learn to work together in marriage, showing respect and love to each other. Establishing family in an atmosphere of love and respect, gives the newly married a foundation upon which to build their lives, together.
Understanding the place of love in marriage begins with having a personal relationship with God, the Originator of marriage.”
