Getting Back to Basics through Christian Marriage Encounters

An ideal solution for couples who find that their marriage is heading for divorce is to go back to the fundamentals through Christian marriage encounters. Most of the marriages start with church weddings and the traditional vows. They embrace the Christian principles of love, honor, devotion and fidelity. In spite of all these, there is a possibility that the marriage could veer off the course. Main reason for this is that the couple loses sight of the most important things in their marriage viz. themselves and children.

To Thine Own Self Be True

In life it is necessary that one has to be true to himself. Over a period of time the couple start taking each other for granted. Taking care of kids becomes your top priority and most of your time is spent in looking after them. Your working hours also are long.  Under these circumstances you are very much stressed and you find that arguments with your spouse start off easily. Both of you gradually start talking less and less about things of real personal importance. Your talks always center on household expenses and kids requirements. You do not find time to talk about love between you or your pride in your family.

In the initial stages of marriage the couple is anxious to get reunited after each day’s work. They find it difficult to wait up to the evening. The marriage relationship at this stage is new and they feel excited to be in each other’s company; they dream about their future and look forward. As time passes they are bogged down in daily issues and gradually the marriage becomes a drag. They also lose interest in the romantic enthusiasm after sometime. With all this you find that they still love each other - buried beneath neglect and worry.

A "Marriage Encounter" is a weekend get-away from home, family and responsibilities; in this there exists a comfortable, secluded environment and a couple is guided in the discovery of new techniques of communicating and sharing with one another. The objective of Christian marriage encounters is to bring both husband and wife closer. The encounter is setup in a weekend resort and is based on the religious principles on which the marriage was founded. The couple spends two or three days in this retreat and are exposed to seminars, private and group counseling sessions and even in church to renew those feelings of love.

Eliminating the Distractions

Christian marriage encounters give an opportunity to both husband and wife to get back to the fundamentals.  When you go for a retreat you are away from the distractions you come across in everyday life. This gives the couple an opportunity to be with each other without any other intervention. You are free from the daily work pressures, children’s needs and other small tasks which require taking a day off. The retreat will help the couple to focus on each other and rediscover their love.

Christian marriage encounters are popular not only among couples having serious marital problems but also couples who want to reconnect between themselves. Couples having serious marital problems and who are on the verge of divorce are the most ideal candidates for Christian marriage encounters. In this encounter, the couple have ample time to discuss privately various issues related to their marriage; this can be either with or without a counselor; they also attend group sessions with other couples with whom they discuss marriage issues. Many of the marriages have their foundation as the Christian values and going to a retreat helps them in its renewal.

Encountering the Problems

You should realize that all marriage encounters are not Christian oriented. There are some encounter groups which are non-Christian and you could also enjoy being in that group.  It is not all that difficult to find encounter groups. The best thing is to start off from your own church and see the type of group sessions they hold. In case your church does not offer the type of marriage encounter which you are interested in you could find out from other local area churches, community agencies or Christian clubs and organizations.

A number of religious leaders and ministers hold the license to counsel the couple. Their job warrants dealing with conflict and communication issues on a daily basis and hence they get trained on the job itself. They have specialization in their fields of study; they also are equipped with their religious training. You often come across a support group during marriage encounters; this group will then meet on a regular basis after completion of the weekend retreat. You remain focused on your marriage due to this; this also reminds you on what you learned during the encounter.

There is no age bar for Christian marriage encounters; couple of all ages can attend this weekend retreat. Your marriage might have taken place in the recent past or you could have been married for fifty years. The marital problems could be financial or much more serious and heading for divorce. All sorts of situations found in a marriage can be handled by encounters.

It is not necessary to allow your romantic life die; it is possible to renew your marital vows, stop divorce or rediscover your past at a Christian marriage encounter.