Support group helps couples strengthen bond

EMERLINE GORDON

COUPLES in long-lasting marriages, newly-weds, those engaged, courting and people who work with couples from all walks of life in Tobago, came together to participate in a marriage seminar, last Saturday, hosted by Committed Couples in Marriage.

The event was the couples support group's second marriage seminar titled “Graciously Growing and Glowing on our Journey,” and was held at the Starfish Tobago Resort auditorium, formerly known as the Turtle Beach hotel, in Plymouth last Saturday.

The seminar was led by Pastor Prisgar Woods and his wife Simone, of the Revival Centre church in Roxborough.

Feature speakers were Pastor Dale DesVignes and his wife Pastor Dawn from Pillars of Truth ministries in Trinidad.

DesVignes in his address to the men, reminded them about their responsibilities, highlighting the importance of being a leader in the home as well as how to maintain proper communication in their relationship.

“As men it is imperative that we invest quality time in our relationship. There must always be some time allocated to being with each other on a regular basis. Maintaining proper communication in our marriage is also very important. We need to keep the communication line between us and our spouse always open. As we continue to work at enhancing the lives of each other, we will in turn be working at improving our own personal lives, as well as our marriage,” said DesVignes.

“The basic duties of a husband are to lead, love, support and provide for his spouse and by extension his family. His wife must feel a certain level of security, love, respect and acceptance. In addition, there are four basic components in life which all humankind must adhere to. We must work, worship God, take some time to rest and be involved in some form of recreation. Each element plays a vital role for the benefit of the individual. Failure to apply these God-ordained principles in our daily lives will result in us having an imbalanced life,” he added.

His wife, in addressing the women identified the differences between men and women noting that though they are different, they were designed to complement each other.

“Men and women are different. Our brains are wired differently, our hormones are different, and our emotional needs are also different. But even though we share such major differences, we were created by God to complement each other. Each one is unique in their own way. Men tend to do for women what they themselves expect of the women, and the women also do likewise. So, let us not compare ourselves with our spouse but let us appreciate our distinctiveness and work together as a team to build each other up and by extension our family,” she said.

“As women we need to demonstrate love and respect to our husbands in the same way that we would like them to do for us. We must also be always willing and ready to acknowledge when we have done something to offend our spouse and be quick to apologise. Words like 'I am sorry', 'I was wrong', 'I forgive you' and 'I love you' should be the watchwords in every marriage relationship. When we do this, we are creating positive building blocks that will help us to grow and glow in our marital relationship.”