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Howard and Mary Andrews come to a stumbling block in their marriage.
Introducing themselves, Howard talks about how a couple with so much going for them could be having trouble. They have good qualities, are educated and are rational people. Why is it that they just can’t get along? Howard tells how they had both been raised in church, but haven’t been going anywhere for years. Then one day he stepped inside one, chalking it up to random chance, but Mary knows differently.
After pouring out his heart to the pastor, he is invited to a class on the next Sunday afternoon. When they show up, the pastor offers comforting advice. Romantic love is sweet and beautiful. The stuff dreams are made of. A happy, unencumbered emotion. It’s untried love, the theory of love. When put to the test, it melts away. As it fades, conjugal, enduring love takes its place. Realistic love grows and flourishes.
He councils them that they need to share emotions of discontent and dissatisfaction to keep feelings of rebellion away. Don’t bottle up negative feelings. Be willing to reveal flaws and have flaws revealed. Marriage should be a comfortable haven, otherwise someone may be tempted to stray or live unnaturally. To transition them, the pastor has the couple stand and he performs a make shift ceremony to cast off the phase of romantic love, and embrace the work day clothes of the enduring realistic love of marriage.
