It's a Whole New World!

This week we have been talking about relationships and as I prepare to go and assist with the 2009 HeartLife Marriage Retreat, my heart is stirred and I am thinking of a love song that would probably not be sung at a wedding, but the lyrics convey the optimism and hopeful expectation nonetheless:

I can show you the world
Shining, shimmering, splendid
Tell me, princess, now when did
You last let your heart decide?

I can open your eyes
Take you wonder by wonder
Over, sideways and under
On a magic carpet ride

A whole new world
A new fantastic point of view
No one to tell us no
Or where to go
Or say we’re only dreaming

(Jasmine)A whole new world
A dazzling place I never knew
But when I’m way up here
It’s crystal clear
that now I’m in a whole new world with you

(From the motion picture Aladdin by Disney)

I think you would agree that it conveys so much of what most young people feel when they find love and seek to build a life together. And how many times is the union like that of Aladdin and the Princess – not based on good judgment, but based upon the heart? And how many times do young couples with circumstances like Aladdin and Jasmine go off to their secret place, not
listening to good advice, but feeling on top of the world – seeing with “crystal clear” clarity that as long as they are together, they are in a whole new world!

If I was counseling a couple before marriage I would have to say to them, that as wonderful as it is when you’re in that “magic place,” – you aren’t able to live there. There are no magic carpets and genies in this life to take you away from the realities of life – you need to be grounded in knowing that your love can withstand mountains and valleys – winter and summer – hope and disappointment.

Isn’t that what our parents try to caution us to understand, even though we often feel as if they are out of touch with life, they have lost their dreams, and live in a past world that no longer exists – as least it doesn’t exist for you! What a revelation when we finally come to realize as parents, that it took us a lifetime to learn what we have learned – and not give up on our children because they seem to lack reason. One of my favorite scriptures is from Proverbs:

Wisdom is the principal thing, therefore get wisdom, and with all thy wisdom, get understanding. Proverbs 4:7 (KJV)

As parents, we have to understand the naivet\’e of our children, and remember that it is the same way our parents viewed us – and as children we need to understand that experience is a good teacher – and what our parents have learned through experience is worth listening too. Relationships at every level need to be built upon mutual trust and confidence that at the root of all communication is love – and a respect and appreciation for what every stage of life offers.

If we as a people can grasp these concepts – I believe – it will be a whole new world for our community where marriages will be strengthened and families will grow.

God Bless You,
Maria