My dear friends,
Although it’s called the Marriage Course, the Marriage Course is not just for couples who are married. (To be quite honest, it’s only called the Marriage Course because that’s what the booklets and DVD we use are called.) Anyway, the marriage course we are running for the first time here is several weeks in and is proving to be a fantastic opportunity for couples to run their relationship through a thorough MOT. The farm coffee shop is proving a wonderful venue and eight couples are currently treated on a weekly basis to a candlelit meal for two and an evening of videos and structured discussions on a range of issues that are integral to any long term relationship. One of our couples has been married for nearly 40 years and another got married just last year.
From how we communicate to how our family upbringing affects us, from resolving conflict to the power of forgiveness, the whole course has made a profound difference to thousands of couples across the country: all mixed with lots of video clips, good music and excellent cakes!
Back to the name – we’ll be running another Marriage Course later in the year and if you can think of a better name for it, please let me know. Calling it a Relationship MOT gives the right idea but it doesn’t quite sound snappy enough. Mind you, this MOT is far less costly than most and is one where you learn exactly how the engine works and you don’t just have to take the word of a mechanic as to what that funny knocking sound is and why it’s going to cost an arm and half a leg to fix.
I like relationship MOTs – I don’t like car-based ones. The last MOT I had led to some unwelcome results. I had dodgy tracking, a balding tyre and worn brake pads. Interestingly I was also given a warning: ‘Book the car in to have the cam belt changed or suffer the consequences!’ What consequences? ‘The engine will die!’ As long as I can trust the expert in question, then I quite like the ‘prevention better than cure’ route, so even though I wouldn’t know a cam belt from a camper van I had it changed.
For a relationship, for a car, for a life – an MOT is a good thing. The psalmist invites God to “search his heart and know his ways.” He offers himself for a spiritual MOT. It makes sense to me – allow the one who knows us inside out to give us a regular check up, to give Him an opportunity to fix the hidden faults or warn us of problems that are looming if things go unchecked.
I know life is busy and there never seems like a good time (or is that God time?) – but if we don’t put it in our diaries, then at some point we will be the ones to suffer the consequences.
Jonathan
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