“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” – John 13:34
This verse seems so simple. We might refer to this principle as similar to The Golden Rule, or even Common Sense! How many times have you said, “I just wish we could all love one another?” Whether in marriage or families or workplace relationships or even politics, it seems so straightforward that loving one another would solve so many problems – and maybe even lead to world peace!
For more than 20 years, I have enjoyed providing pastoral counseling to couples who are getting married. It’s truly one of the great joys of ministry as I get to know couples who are making plans for a special wedding day. I always ask the couple to read “The Five Love Languages” because I believe it is one of the best resources for discussion about how we give and receive love. Every couple would benefit from keeping it close at hand as a reminder of the importance of loving one another.
One of my favorite statements to each couple goes like this: “I’m glad to talk with you about your marriage and wedding before your special day, but I want to offer for you to come back in 6 months or 1 year or anytime that you want to visit!” The reason I do this is simple: it’s easy to talk about relationships when life is good, and we are excited for the future; it’s much more challenging when the realism of day-to-day interactions and the inevitable conflict begins to occur. It’s in the hard times of life that we need support and guidance from others who can provide positive spiritual, emotional and practical ideas for us to grow. I believe marriage is one of the most relevant correlations to the challenges we face in all relationships whether at work or school or elsewhere. Jesus even used marriage as an example of the love he shows to the Body of Christ (also known as the Church).
I encourage every person – single, married, divorced, widowed – to make your Church family of faith a priority in your life. When you surround yourself with Christians who can be there in the good times and hard times in life, you will encounter the presence of the Living God and the joy of knowing you are not alone. Come to church this Sunday. Let the members, staff and pastors provide words of hope to you that will lift you through the week. And when it gets hard, make sure to talk with someone who can help you continue in, “loving one another!”
Phil Greenwald, Executive Pastor of Administration
