Happily Ever After?

Search Resources

In fairy tales we read of a hero and heroine getting married and living “happily ever-after.” But marriage is a partnership that involves joining two lives into one. It is a process, not something that happens all at once. An ideal heavenly marriage is not achieved without effort. But there is a “fairy tale ending” of a “happily ever-after” marriage (in heaven if not on earth) for everyone who believes in the Lord and obeys His commandments. 

Readings about Marriage

Ideas for Discussion

  1. Friendship is the foundation of a good relationship, and it helps a couple make the transition from the romance of the early days of marriage to the everyday challenges of joining two lives into one.
  2. Since conjugial love grows as we turn to the Lord and work on our own regeneration or spiritual rebirth in adulthood, we work toward conjugial love throughout our lives.
  3. The teachings of the New Church help us understand the spiritual aspect of marriage. Ideally, it is a spiritual joining of a man and a woman that affects their souls as well as their minds and hearts as the Lord is able to give them true marriage love. In the New Church, this is called “conjugial love.”
  4. What of those who do not marry here on earth? One of the precious teachings of the New Church is that marriage is eternal, and the Lord will provide happy marriages for all good people—if not here on earth, then in heaven.
  5. Every married couple experiences challenging times, when the love they have for each other seems weakened by irritation or stress or loneliness. During these colder states in marriage, we can look to the Lord by focusing on the things we treasure about our partner. Friendship—shared activities and ideas—can be vital to helping us work through these trials.
  6. Keeping the eternal perspective can help us persevere in the face of challenges. We should not despair over problems in marriage or other relationships. Rather, these present opportunities for us to work on our spiritual growth as we deal with temptations and hardships.
  7. When we do the work of marriage—avoiding evils and living charitably—then the Lord can grant us that precious jewel of human live—truly conjugial love.

Projects and activities for various ages

Sign up to receive notification when new highlights like this are published. Subscribe.