UPFRONT November 29, 2010 Issue

NEW MEANING TO THE RELATIONSHIP

KIM SHIPPEY, SENIOR EDITOR

Statistical surveys and online searches confirm that sticking together and making a marriage work isn't always a cakewalk. Yet we are convinced that in the world today there is a yearning for something deeper that can give new meaning and fresh unity to the marriage relationship.

Christian Science practitioner and teacher Kevin Graunke takes up this theme when he writes in our lead article that the attribute of unity is the foundation for harmony in all human relationships, whether in business, government, sports, education, or one's home. "But in marriage," he writes, "unity is infinitely more: It is a profoundly spiritual quality of thought and living; the complete, selfless blending and unification of spirit and purpose, love and commitment." He speaks of marriage as "an unbreakable partnership with divine Love itself," and emphasizes that it's never too late to discover some new quality, talent, or gift to love and nurture in one's partner (p. 14).

In the first of two supporting articles, Michele Newport suggests that prayer is a vital part of keeping any relationship fresh and new (p. 16). Her marriage has survived more than 35 years, she explains, not because she and her husband are hanging on, afraid of change, but because "there has always been an expectation of progress, renewal, and restoration." And Rosalinda Johnson, writing from Takapuna, New Zealand, bluntly admits that it was only after two failed marriages and a seemingly endless search, that she realized it is Love (God) that companions each of us at all times and under all circumstances. It wasn't long before the right man came into her life, ready to support her values and her love of Christian Science (p. 18).

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