the marriage counselor

The Marriage Counselor

There was a young man that just graduated from college with a degree in philosophy.  He wanted to become a college professor in the field.  One day he met a young lady at a coffee house.  She was beautiful and he saw her reading the book As A Man Thinketh by James Allen.  Uncharacteristically he asked her if he could join her. She smiled. 

A year later the young couple are engaged to be married and on the advice of the bride to be's father they were in need of premarital counseling.  The office was quiet and peaceful and an older man walked into the room with a warm smile and greeted the couple.  The couple relax as their anxiety of the session flees.  The old man sat down and looked at the couple in silence then said 

"Do you know why you are here?"  

Unsure of what he was asking they didn't respond.  The old man said 

"What I mean is do you believe in destiny?"  

Confused even more the couple stared at each other as if to say what did we get ourselves into.  Seeing their confusion the old man laughed.  

"Do you believe that Love brought you here?" 

The young man grinned and said 

"Yes, of course."  

The old man nodded his head then said

"Good, then I can help you. Believing in God is the foundation that will make your marriage a success."  

The young man jaw tightened 

"I don't believe in God.  I believe we get out of life what we put in.  God does not determine what I do or who I marry.  I do."  

The old man sat back into his chair and looked at the young lady. He waited for her to respond.  She took her time then said 

"I believe in God and I believe Love has brought us here too."  

Surprised by her response.  Her fiance said 

"You never told me you believed in God." 

She replied

"You never asked."  

The old man interrupted them 

"Now we can begin.." 

The couple sat in a car unsure what the future holds for them.  Things were not as simple as they imagined.  Their differences seemed irreconcilable.  The young man loved her with a love he never had for anyone else.  But how can he accept her beliefs in God when he knew she was wrong.  How could they move forward when they were headed in different directions?  Nevertheless they decided to meet with the marriage counselor one more time.  After the last session which ended abruptly, they were both curious to see what the counselor had to offer them.  The couple had barely talked since the session and neither knew what the other was thinking.  

As they sat down in the counselor's office. They saw a puzzle on a desk in front of them with a note "complete me".  The young woman immediately started to work on the puzzle.  The young man watched as she is completely engaged with doing the puzzle.  She was making light work of the puzzle and it appeared she would finish without the help of her partner.  She has used every piece but the puzzle was not complete; there are 3 pieces that didn't fit.  She was frustrated and thoughts of their engagement and how complicated it has gotten came to the surface.  The young man saw her frustrated and started to try to force the pieces in to place to help her.  It was not working no matter how hard he pushed the pieces didn't connect.  In desperation the young man asked his fiance to hold one piece as he held another and they would place their individual pieces around the last piece. She agreed to and when they did, miraculously the puzzle is complete and they smiled and embraced.  

As soon as they completed it the old man walked into the office looking at the completed puzzle and said 

"Now you are ready to get married."  

In disbelief the young man said 

"But we have not even started our session. You have not given us a chance to work out our differences or given us any guidance."  

The old man pointed at the puzzle and said 

"You worked out your differences right there.  You see, no matter how hard one of you tried the puzzle could not be complete without you working together.  You were holding a piece that only you could connect.  When it is connected all the rough edges disappear and all that remains is a beautiful complete puzzle.  You walked into my office as individuals but like this puzzle you will become one.  When you tried to connect your pieces together it didn't fit.  It was not until you both connected to the last piece; one on each side that you were able to complete the puzzle. What do you think that last piece is symbolic of?"  

The young man eyes widened and he said 

"God?"  

"Yes, God!  You see, You believe in God because you love her.  God is love.  Without Love you will not be able to connect with your fiance on a deeper level.  It is Love that will keep you and it is Love that will complete you.  Your love for each other will overflow into everything that you are connected to.  You are no longer at odds because of love.  Without love you would not be able to become who you are meant to be." 

The young couple smiled and embraced again as they thanked the counselor.  Their session has ended but their life together had just begun.  A life of many ups and downs but one lived together.