For many people, marriage is more than just a ‘legal commitment.’ Some consider it an integral part of their lives: their partner is a ‘God-sent messenger’ to bring happiness and love to life. However, many couples do not find their marriage on the right track at times. When repeated arguments or conflicts occur, it seems ‘life losing.’ Here, marriage counseling in Duluth can interrupt to offer spiritual, emotional, and relational insights from God's perspective, to ultimately heal the marriage. In this guide today, we will learn how Christian counseling lays a strong foundation for a long-lasting marriage.
Understanding marriage as a spiritual battle
As per Christian values and beliefs, marriage is more about a ‘spiritual relation’ between two people. The stronger it is, the happier marital life goes. Marriage and family counseling in Duluth aims to offer a spiritual perspective of a relationship to the couples. The trained professionals guide people that
arguments,
resentment, and
even empathy
are not just emotional challenges of marriage they can also hinder your spiritual path (both individually and together, as a couple).
Practical application:
Spiritual warfare prayers can help in marriage by offering protection, wisdom, and discernment in difficult situations.
Recognize and understand that your partner is not your ‘enemy.’ During conflicts, pause and ask yourself: “Is this depleting my energy or more about my growth?”
Rebuilding the marriage through individual healing
A marital bond thrives when both partners detect their spiritual paths individually. Only after that, do they come together and work for a happy, healthy married life. However, people with
Unresolved childhood memories
Past betrayals
Negative self-perceptions
unconsciously affect their spouses indirectly.
Offline and online Christian marriage counseling can help such individuals heal their part first. As a result, they will be able to bring their whole and healthy version into the marriage.
For example: Let's say, a husband has insecurity problems and he often misinterprets his wife's words as criticism. Ultimately, unnecessary conflicts occur at times. Here, both partners need to commit to personal healing, and the marriage will eventually thrive hand in hand.
Practical application:
Each spouse should reflect on personal emotional wounds and seek healing either through Christian counseling or prayer.
‘Individual quiet time with God’ is important to process personal struggles (relying on the spouse solely won't help, they also need their personal space).
Redefining love as a daily sacrifice
In modern culture, couples often misinterpret ‘love’ in marriage as an ‘always fulfilling and exciting’ feeling. However, biblical love mentions serving each other selflessly in a relationship.
Christian premarital counseling guides couples with the mindsets of:
What am I getting out of this marriage?
Is he/ she even the right person to survive with?
With a positive shift in the thought patterns, Christian counselors aim to
Decrease conflicts, and
Let the genuine intimacy grow
Practical application:
No expectations, just ‘acts of service.’
In place of expecting your spouse to fulfill your needs, think of how you can be your blessing for them today.
Keep a gratitude journal. List things there that you appreciate about your better half daily. It will shift your focus from unmet expectations to the blessings in your relationship.
Creating a marriage vision with Christian premarital counseling
Most of the couples just go into the marriage without a clear vision about the future together. And, this is exactly why the relationship suffers. That's why, Christian counseling emphasizes on
Shared goals, and
Purpose
to let the partners grow with each other over time.
They learn about a ‘biblical marriage vision’ to align their marriage with God's purpose. In a marriage vision, the following comes:
Individual and collective spiritual goals
Family goals (address with family counseling in Duluth)
Financial goals
Relationship goals
Practical application:
Write a ‘marriage mission statement’ together and make the relationship work.
Create a ‘yearly marriage retreat’ where you reflect, pray, and adjust your goals.
Learning how to love in each other's language
A Christian therapist online offering marriage counseling generally uses ‘The Five Love Languages.’ It's a biblical concept that helps couples express love in ways their partner truly understands. Because everyone has a different love language and everyone wants to be loved differently. But with Christian counseling, you can find the right one.
For example:
Let's say a wife has “words of affirmation” as her love language while the husband is naturally quiet. He must take a conscious effort here to at least verbalize his love.
Marriage counseling in Duluth aims to help couples understand that,
“Love is a choice, an act of humility (as termed by God).”
Practical application:
Work on finding your spouse’s primary love language and intentionally practice it.
Study biblical examples of love and apply the principles in your marriage.
Conclusion
Overall, couple counseling in White Bear Lake does not only solve marital struggles but offers a fully fledged Christ-centered foundation for the relationship. As you start viewing your marriage through a ‘biblical lens’, you can strengthen and cherish your bond for a lifetime.
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