Article October 31, 1988 Issue

Building marriage on a spiritual basis

Nothing can do as much for a marriage as putting love of God at the center of our affections.

Clifford Kapps Eriksen

Recently my wife and I happily celebrated our twenty-fifth wedding anniversary about the same time that some friends celebrated their sixty-seventh. Chronologically, our celebration seemed somewhat insignificant compared to that of our friends, but a silver anniversary is still a special event and gave us a renewed opportunity to be grateful for what the teachings of Christian Science can bring to the marriage relationship.

We were reminded, in particular, of a visit we had had several weeks before our wedding with a couple who had been married many years, both of whom happened to be Christian Science practitioners. They shared with us some of the practical insights into marriage that Christian Science had given them. Their observations did not characterize marriage as "a bed of roses." Instead, they spoke of mutual respect, sacrifice, unflagging patience, trials overcome, conflicts resolved, misunderstandings corrected, and above all, a growing love that embodied spiritual values, not mere physical attraction or human emotionalism.

With tender admiration for his wife, the husband told us of a remarkable experience on their wedding day. A much-loved maid, who worked for his wife and had been instrumental in bringing them together, was not present at the wedding. Learning that she was suffering from erysipelas, the couple left the wedding reception to share the joy of their wedding day with this loved employee. He said that as his wife prayed for this dear one, it was as if someone had lifted the shade in a darkened room and let in the light; all evidence of the disease simply melted away, and the woman was completely healed.

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