By God's design, the marriage covenant is intended to reflect the relationship of Christ to His bride, the Church. In essence, when the world sees a healthy, functional Christian marriage, they should be presented with a representation of the redemption story, the greatest love story ever told. The illustration of this relationship is one that should be a beacon of hope to the lost and dying, a picture from which they might feel the blessing of the Father as they see the love of Christ and hear the call of the Holy Spirit. Unfortunately, most Christian couples do not reflect the love of the Lord.
Most Christian marriages are far from that design.
It is increasingly difficult to distinguish a Christian couple from the masses of failed and struggling relationships in the world. Christian marriages most often bear the mark of the lost rather than manifest the light of the Lord. Many feel the burden of guilt caused by these marital failures, but are not aware of their holy calling or the grace God offers to achieve success. Perhaps if we can find the core problem, we can find a way to transform our marriages to display God's grand design. To do this, we must first determine the root cause of this dilemma.