The L.O.V.E Ministry organized a webinar via Zoom entitled, “What Damages A Marriage?” on April 3, 2021.
Pastor Peter Kairuz and his lovely wife, Christine Kairuz, the guest speakers, are not strangers to us. They were here in Oman on May 6 and 7, 2020 before the lockdown. Different churches here in Oman attended this unforgettable Marriage Seminar, “Marriage Ablaze.” During their last day of the seminar, other countries started to close their borders and other flights were canceled, but through the mercy of God, they were able to board a flight that night going to Abu Dhabi and then to the Philippines. This was indeed a God-impeccable timing!
A total of 50 couples from OECC, including guests from different places, attended this event. Bro. Louie and Sis. Cathy Layon, a power couple, hosted the program.
Bro. Toto Gallardo opened the webinar with a prayer, followed by welcoming remarks from the Layon couple. Likewise, the Falculan couple shared with us some questions and answers through their ice breaker. A video of the previous fellowship was displayed on the screen reminiscing the night of the “Marriage Ablaze” fellowship.
After the Layon couple introduced the speakers, Pastor Peter and Sis. Christine shared with us some essential points on what could damage a marriage and how to prevent them.
The first factor that can cause damage in one’s marriage is Lack or Poor Communication. They told us that most couples struggle to communicate clearly with each other and fail to understand each other. To avoid this, they reminded us that a husband and a wife need to sharpen their communication skills because being a good listener shows respect to your partner who is talking.
“Your word to your spouse matters but the tone in which you speak matters just as much.”.
Secondly, they talked about Sexual Immorality and Pornography. Since marriage is bonded by vows, they reminded us that the marriage bed must be kept pure.
Thirdly, they shared about Financial Irresponsibility. They told us to set a budget to avoid non essential spending. One thing that struck me is that we should not allow power play in our marriage (in some situations, where your spouse has a bigger income). Most importantly, be honest with your purchases to avoid conflicts.
Lastly, Emotional Abuse – having uncontrolled anger, abusive speech, unmet expectations, and frustrations within marriage. We may not be abusive physically, but we might be abusing our partner emotionally.
These four important points reminded us of areas we need to improve or change to avoid damaging our marriages. Truly, there is no such thing as perfect marriage and a perfect partner, for there will always be differences between a couple. But if we will always put God in the center of our marriage, by His grace, we can overcome whatever obstacles come our way.
The Brimon couple facilitated the Q&A portion following the breakout sessions, where we discussed and shared our personal experiences relating to the topic. Few questions were asked before we proceed with the group photo session. Bro. Jessie Perdido gave blessings to the speakers and officially ended the program with a closing prayer.
Before we said our goodbyes, our guest speaker left us with this advice, “Pray about your differences. Always remember the reason why God gave you your partner today. Whatever the married couples are facing today, no matter how much the weight of the situation is, if both are willing, no dispute is impossible to fix.” It is the willingness of each one to stay in a marriage that can save it.
