As the Associate Pastor of Trinity United Methodist Church in Hutchinson, KS, I write a weekly article for the newsletter article. I invite both members of the church and other visitors to my blog to share their thoughts!

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This is wedding season at Trinity.  We typically do six or eight weddings each year, but most of them happen in May and June.  This year we have weddings three weeks in a row– this Saturday is the last of a long chain!  I preside over all of these weddings (with the help of fantastic staff, of course), and also do 3-4 premarital counseling sessions with each couple.

What a blessing it is to see so much young love (and I include older couples in that)!  Sometimes I wonder how much I can really say to them, having only experienced a year of marriage myself.  But the principles of living in a loving relationship are universal whether you’ve been married many years or called instead to singleness: love like God loves.  I always remind the couples that since God IS love (1 John 4:7-8), what they see in each other is a little piece of God living in them.

I also remind them that their marriage will not always be as rosy as on their wedding day– they will annoy one another and even hurt one another, it’s just a part of life.  Sadly, there are some offences (like abuse) that can damage a marriage beyond repair.  But for everything else, I tell them they would do well to follow the example of God’s grace and forgive each other as freely as God forgives.  We would do well to focus more on the good than on the bad that is part of every person and every relationship (Philippians 4:8-9).

Now I know many of you have been married long enough to have gained more wisdom than I.  But I thought I would share these ideas since we all need a little “refresher” now and then.  What is your secret to a healthy, happy marriage for you?  I hope you’ll let me know in person or by sharing a comment on my blog, http://ministrygeek.net.