INTRODUCTION The propelling force for marriage is Love. Love is the magnet that brings both parties together. Love is the basis or fundamental foundation of all marriages. It is dismay that after marriage, Love begins to diminish to a level of no percentage. This is the basic of all crises in marriage. Nevertheless, for the strengthening of marriage, we need to go back to the basic of that which bid both parties initially: LOVE. Pope Paul VI once said that building a “community of love and sharing” is crucial to teaching children the virtues. This community is also necessary to form within children the raw material for selfless, loving relationships with God and their future spouses and children. Building a community of love and sharing begins with each family member’s willingness to offer himself for the sake of another. Parents are called to be the first examples of self-giving. Our lives are to be ordered to the service of others. Mary understood this. Consider how she dropped everything and traveled to visit her relative Elizabeth. Even though she was pregnant herself, Mary willingly went and served the needs of her elder kinswoman (Luke 1:39-56). Families generally begin in love. A man and woman fall in love; they get married, and out of their love come children. . In the beginning, God established the family as the first of all human relationships. How then can this family love be strengthened? The first essential key to developing family unity is commitment. It seems these days that marriages and families are frequently viewed as temporary – even throwaway – conveniences. There’s little to no loyalty. Selfishness and self-centeredness can easily get in the way of harmony and happiness in the home. Whether we’re a spouse, parent, child, sibling or all of the above, we need to think long and hard about how committed we are to our families’ basic physical, emotional and spiritual well-being. What level of sacrifice are we willing to make for the health and wholeness of our family units? Family ought to walk in when the world walks out on us. KEYS TO BUILDING FAMILY LOVE There are basic elements which help in building family love. When these elements are present in a family or lacking, family will be always strengthen in love or weakened in love depending on the present or absence of these elements. Such elements are: The most important thing we can do to nourish the love in our families is to live the first great commandment: “Thou shall love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with thy entire mind” (Matthew 22:37). Our Heavenly Father is the source of all truth and all love. By loving him we draw close to him and become more like him. As that happens, we receive from him the knowledge and power to love each family member, to better nurture their love, and to meet the daily challenges in our homes. The Savior taught, “H e that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love” (1 John 4:8). ACCEPTANCE: We need to accept people for who they are as God designed them. This include: Receiving another person willingly and unconditionally; even when the other’s behavior has been imperfect. Helping other people live up to what they are capable of and allowing people to be human. Romans 15:7 “Wherefore receive ye one another, as Christ also received us to the glory of God.” Prayer: There is a popular saying which says- A family that prays together stays together. The bond of unity is drawn primarily by staying together. Praying together is one of the means of building a community of Love. How good and pleasant it I when brothers stays in unity. This is demonstrated by the early Christians who were together in the upper room after the death of Jesus Christ praying and sharing things in common. Eating meals together: Eating meals together has the potential to strengthen family bonds as it provides a daily time for the whole family to be together. For younger children, routine family meals can provide a sense of security and a feeling of belonging in the family. Older children and teenagers, too, prefer eating together as a family. 71% of teenagers said they consider talking, catching-up, and spending time with family members as the best part of family dinners. Dropping self interest: It is said that man is naturally selfish and always looks for self aggrandizement rather than common good. Dropping self or selfish interest will help to build community love and family unity. When everyone is in pursuit of common good, things will be better. Let’s reach out for others: Altruistic principle. CONCLUSION A sense of community is so powerful that it can bring healing. It is now scientifically proven that people with depression are better helped by talking to trusted friends than by taking anti-depressants and mood controlling drugs. The various principles of psychiatry are contradictory and not founded in any proven science yet people who visit psychiatrists are often helped because they enter a community – they interact with a proxy friend. A sense of community is incredibly important to human social life. Indeed, without community there is no social life. As Christians we not only need to appreciate this but we need to understand where this comes from. Then we can seek to bring a sense of loving community wherever we go.
The Best Wedding Vibes Under One Roof.
