We promise each other to give affection and understanding through success or failure. We promise to keep ourselves for each other and promise to love with the eternal love of our Heavenly Father.” – These are the words expressed as the Ministers and their wives of Northeastern Mindanao Mission renewed their vows of love for each other in a Marriage Encounter seminar at La Vista, Nasipit, Agusan del Norte on April 28 – May 1.
It was a unique seminar or a marital encounter indeed because there are applications after every lecture.
In the first night, couples were given time to tell their love story. Reminiscing the time when they first met and got that special feeling every time they see each other and ended with a belief that being together forever is a MAGIC.
In the second day, after the lecture “Becoming One When We Are So Different”, every couple were requested to trace their hands in their love notes then exchanged notes with their partners. They then will write in the traced hands of their partners, the characteristics and good attributes of their mates.
In the lecture “Appreciation – A Key to Family Happiness”, love notes were out again. This time couples will write all the positive things to their mates to appreciate their love and affirmed them. This one takes much effort especially if all they can remember are the faults of their spouses.
Thus when “Common Faults of Husbands” and Common Faults of Wives” were discussed, the written notes of the wives were longer compared to their husbands’ notes. As they said, this is the time when we can tell our husbands about their many faults. One wife has even written 45 faults of her husband. And only that time that her husband knew his faults. All along he thought they are doing perfectly fine.
Of course in a marriage, there are always positive and negative because we are all different. Male and female are different. But we have to equate the positive and negative to produce positively for we are fearfully and wonderfully made by God.
In the lecture “Building Structure for Happy Marriages” which include the “Wall of Forgiveness”, the couples were requested to write again. This time, all the negative traits, faults, and flaws of their partners are to be forgiven. We need to FORGIVE and FORGET for we cannot forget if we cannot forgive. We cannot love if we cannot say “I’m sorry; forgive me!”
To ask for forgiveness is not an easy thing to say thus couples look for places in the beach to be alone, to be away from the crowd so that their asking for forgiveness will be sincere and comes from the heart.
The seminar ended with a communion service and renewal of vows with a promise to love each other with the eternal love of our Heavenly Father.
Words of thanks were expressed to Pastor & Mrs. Shirley Aguinaldo for sharing their time and talents to NEMM workers.
Truly, GOD is LOVE.
(Joan Arrogante)
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