How can Christian marriage counseling bring you closer to your spouse?

God is a relational being, and humanity was created in the covenant of relationship. He intimately knit us together and knows who we are even before we were even conceived in the womb. Our direct connection to God our creator, our heavenly Father, connects us to his love, and his love transforms us from the inside out. 

Ephesians 1:4, “For He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him, in love.”

Ephesians 1:4 highlights the fact that God knew us even before the formation of the world, which means that our first relationship was birthed in the Father. We can all agree that relationships are complex, but in Jesus the restoration of any relationship is possible. Jesus’s primary mission was to restore the relationship between man and God. There are healing and restoration in a relationship to God, and pursuing this relationship is what Christian relationship counseling is all about. 

Christian relationship counseling will help you strengthen your relationship with God which will, in turn, positively impact your relationship with your spouse. The more you are filled with God’s love, the more you can radiate it and extend it onto others, in this case your spouse. 

Christian marriage counseling can be useful in many ways. 

Forgiveness culture. Faith tells us that we are all flawed, and because we are all flawed and fall short that we must be ready to forgive and have mercy just as Jesus does. This is elemental when we apply it in our marriage. Forgiveness then becomes more than a conscious act; it’s adopted as a lifestyle. 

It’s essential when we view marriage; we consider long-term commitment. Therefore, forgiveness will not be an affair that is limited in number. Instead, the longevity of our union should signal a close relationship to forgiveness. It would be wise to cultivate a culture of forgiveness within the marriage, and Christian counseling can help prompt this view and help put it into practice. 

Love is a decision. 1 Corinthians 4-6, “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.”

The bible teaches us how to love. It shows us that love isn’t a feeling; it’s a decision to be selfless. When we attend Christian marriage counseling or relationship counseling, we won’t only encounter help on present issues. A counselor will guide us to look at scripture to find out what is expected of us concerning others. We will stumble upon the fact that God calls us to love him with all our mind and heart, and to love our neighbor as we love ourselves (Matthew 22:37-40).

Therefore at the core of all relationships is the great call to love. We must understand that love is love whether it means loving a spouse or any other person in our lives. When we view others through the eyes of mercy, understanding that our spouse is also a son or daughter of God, then we understand that we are called to accept and love them as they are.  

Selfless love. When we analyze what God did by sending Jesus as the ultimate sacrifice to restore us to relationship with the Father, we see one thing: selflessness.  According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary the definition for selfless as having no concern for self. God is a selfless God because of love for his creation. He loves us more than he loves himself. When we understand this kind of love, we realize that this is a model for the relationships that we develop. 

As we attend Christian relationship counseling, we see the importance of empathy and selflessness because these are distinct character traits of who God is. What would our relationships look like if we all possessed selfless love? What would our world look like if we were all selfless? There would be no hate, no envy, no wars, no abuse, and no harm to others would be seen. 

Faith. Disappointment settles in our hearts when we put our trust and confidence in anything other than God. Isaiah 2:22, “Don’t put your trust in mere humans. They are as frail as breath…” 

We must take refuge in God and expect people to fail and disappoint us. Hebrews 13:8, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” Jesus is a constant, and your faith must be solely deposited in him. Allow the wise counsel of God via Christian relationship counseling, or marriage counseling, to help you flourish. To help you be a blessing to those you encounter as you embody the love of Christ. 

———-

Soul health and spiritual maturity cannot be separated.  Our counselors are ordained Christian ministers as well as certified and licensed Christian counselors.  We are able to help you experience freedom from shame, anxiety, depression, or marriage / relationship conflict with methods that are purely Christ-centered.  Please click on this link to learn much more about how our CHRISTIAN COUNSELING an help you become a more authentic follower of Christ, and help you find freedom from identity dependence.

Life Training offers convenient sessions at our office in Louisville, Kentucky, as well as online counseling via Zoom or FaceTime.  Our non-profit counseling practice has an outstanding track record for over a decade helping men and women, individuals and couples who are ready to move beyond anxiety, depression, and conflicts in marriage or other relationships find hope and healing in their lives.  Contact us today at 502-717-5433, or by email at drdave@lifetrainingcounseling.org