By Janice S Ramkissoon
September 2009

Men: Your wife is your helpmeet – allow her to fulfil her God-given role.

Seven years into our marriage and I have lots to say but its all wrapped up in one phrase:  

“We are blessed!”

Marriage, in today’s society, is no longer seen as a gift from God.  It has been glamorized by the media, to the point where it has become a commodity.  And just like the ‘rise and fall’ of Hollywood stars, it would appear that marriage is promoted by reporters so that two years later [the average life span of a marriage] they are given exclusive rights to reporting the couples’ divorce.

Some people are involved with marriages of convenience, others marrying for the sake of the kids. I’ve even heard people latching onto that Tina Turner song, asking:

“What’s love got to do with it?”

Progressing from this question, I’ve heard others saying:

“As long as his [or her] bank account is ‘phat’, I don’t care!”

With these factors present, divorce rates will continue to rise. For if the marriage is not built on a strong foundation, a simple ‘east wind’ will blow it away.  The east wind in marriages can be anything from starting a family to financial struggles or ‘the in-laws’. Unattended issues within our marriage can develop into full-blown problems that can lead to divorce.

In the article ‘For the Health of your Marriage’ there are highlighted points, encouraging men, to take Solomon’s advice from Proverbs 5 and 6.   The core of the message is learning how to recognise and therefore, avoid immoral women.  As a follow up, ‘The 7 Point Plan To Enhance Your Marriage’ takes an in-depth look on the maintenance of marriage, by using [from personal experience] seven (7) points to highlight some important marital issues that will hopefully encourage married couples to invest in their marriage.  It can also be used as a repair mechanism to get your marriage back on track, if it already has a touch of contamination.

One thing I have realised on my journey, as a believer in Christ, is that a blessing is not meant to be held onto for our own purposes.  Instead, we need to share it so the blessing can be passed on to others.  When God blesses us, it is so that we can bless others while giving Him the praise.  Therefore, in the hope of pouring out a blessing from my life into yours, I share this Seven (7) part plan to enhance your marriage.  This is a plan that my husband and I were inspired to put together, in using our experience to help others.  We wanted to have a point to represent each year of our togetherness and hence the 7 points.  They have done wonders to our marriage and I pray that these points will help to strengthen your marriage that you too will see a new spring in your marriage.

This plan is shared through a series of articles and includes the following:

1.                 Submit to God’s will for your marriage;

2.                 Communicate your needs to your spouse;

3.                 Allow your spouse to rest;

4.                 Treat your spouse regularly;

5.                 Educate yourself – invest in your marriage;

6.                 Apply a daily dose of intimacy;

7.                 Develop and apply trust.

In His Service
© 2009 Janice S Ramkissoon 
(as published in the Big Eye Newspaper)

Please see the section: The 7 Point Plan to Enhancing Your Marriage for the remaining parts. 

Your Sister in Christ
Janice S Ramkissoon
02/10/2010