The Bible teaches us that marriage is a holy covenant between a man and a woman. It was established by God for the purpose of building happy, joyful and fruitful families.
Marriage is to be a lifelong and unconditional commitment in which each party endeavours to so whatever they can to make the relationship better and become one, regardless of the other party’s weaknesses, failures and changes that may take place in their lives. The relationship must exist in a loving, honouring, respectful, forgiving, reconciliatory and caring environment.
In today’s society, especially in the western world, marriage has become an unstable institution, with millions of people divorcing each year. Many who stay together tolerate their partner but are not necessarily happy. Marital conflict is a symptom of selfishness, greed, lack of love, unwillingness to forgive, anger, bitterness, and emotional and sexual abuse.
For marriage to be as God intended, both parties should leave their parents and cleave to their mates, who become their priority. In-laws can eventually become outlaws in a marriage if they do not maintain a healthy distance and allow their married children to bond and become one.
Becoming one is more than being physical and it involves more than sex. It means that both partners share everything they have, including their bodies, their earnings, material inheritances and possessions, their thoughts and feelings, joys, sorrows, hopes, fears, successes and failures.
At Emerge, we help you and your spouse clearly understand the specific issues that are causing problems. We teach you how to communicate constructively, how to solve the problem, and make proper decisions and choices. We help you express your frustrations, distress and desires in a congenial manner. Finally, we help you build a marriage based on Biblical principles, keep it healthy and stay together if you desire to do so.
Our primary method of counselling is face-to-face personal counselling, although we do follow up through telephone and email support when a personal meeting is not convenient. We model our methods on several successful professional techniques, including the cognitive behavioral approach and the pray-through process.