Chua and Shelly

MARRIAGE MEANS ONE FLESH

Chua and Shelly graduated in the MFL class of 2000.

Shelly

We have been married for six years with three children, ages ranging from 8 months to 5 years old. Being the youngest in my family and the only one to marry a Christian at that time, we had no idea what the blueprint of a Christian marriage was. In Genesis 2:24 "Therefore shall a man leave his father and mother, shall cleave unto his wife and they shall be one flesh". We thought one flesh applied only to the physical union of husband and wife. The marriage vow meant commitment to remain faithful to each other.

Chua

Life is routine with weekdays, rushing to work and ferry our children to and fro from my parents' place. Much time was spent at our workplace and we often bring our work back to complete at home. We would spend time with our children at home but seldom made time to communicate with each other. Sundays would be attending church and dinners at my in-law's house. There were no consultations with one another since, as adults, we presumed that we would know what things needed be done.

Shelly

Our marriage became quite dry and I did not know what to do. I did not know when he would be free to talk or discuss with me what I felt. I was very unhappy but when I told Chua, his reaction was rather cold. I felt so helpless. I prayed to God for help. When we came to know about this MFL course, my mind was filled with questions: Would Chua agree to commit to 13 lessons? Who would baby-sit my 3 young children? I prayed, and thanked God; we made the right choice to join the course.

Chua

In class, we learnt that one of the biblical principles was the meaning of one flesh found in Genesis 2:23-25. It touches three parts: Body, Soul, and Spirit. The Body which is the physical union of the husband and wife, The Soul which is sharing our emotions, intellect and will and, The Spirit which is spending time as husband and wife to show love and affection to each other As Christians we are one in Spirit.

Shelly

The one-flesh principle helped us to receive God's blessings as we build a godly atmosphere at home. We realized the importance of the triangular relationship between God, Husband and Wife. Our time spent together doing the homework assignments helped us to communicate with each other over many issues that were never discussed before. We learnt the benefits of praying together and this helped us to know more about each others' needs and concerns.

Chua

This is just the beginning and a good foretaste of a godly marriage. The challenge for us as a couple is to constantly discipline ourselves to apply Gods' Principles found in His Word and His tools that provide the blueprint for a godly marriage. Then our home will become an oasis of peace and power that God intends.