Walter Trobisch, a German Lutheran...
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Walter Trobisch, a German Lutheran pastor, published a book a decade or so ago titled I Married You. The author listed six litmus tests for love. The first and most fundamental test is about sharing. Trobisch insists that real love wants to share, to give and to reach out. He also suggests that those who want to marry for happiness should not marry, because one is called in marriage to make one's partner happy. Nor should those who want to be understood marry, because it is important to understand one's partner. Today hardly anyone would make it on the second test. With the current emphasis on doing one's own thing and the insistence on one's rights, who wants to believe that marriage is a call to genuine sharing? Marriage counselors are wearied by the lines of people coming to their offices to announce their unwillingness to share any longer with their marriage partners. We have created an atmosphere in which people are taught to be selfish and to serve only their self interests. The gospel story of the presence of our Lord at the wedding at Cana is an opportunity for us to look for ways in which we can look for God's blessings upon marriage and the family. We really do need to look for ways to turn things around again and encourage people in the art of giving themselves and sharing in marriage.
-- Huxhold
-- Huxhold
