When two people fall in love, their personal truth galaxies collide. The consequences are the stuff of novels. They may or may not marry. If they do, their joy in the marital truth galaxy they will birth will reflect their ability to mutually address concerns that will arise in getting to know each other. They may begin by wondering if the person that they love is truly a soulmate? If so, they will look forward to ironing out any perceived difficulties in their relationship. All bodes well if working through these early problems deepens their relationship.

Pretty much all went well for my parents during their sixty-plus years together. They never lost their love of God, joy in life, and trust in each other even though my seven siblings and I often quarreled, suffered broken bones, got sick, and were warned about smoking, drinking, drugs, and premarital sex. They didn’t let their frustrations undermine their joy in each other when mildew, rust, grasshoppers and hailstorms set them back financially seemingly every year. They took the Korean War, the spread of communism, the Iron Curtain, the possibility of a nuclear war, and the building of bomb shelters all in stride. After their rental lease was terminated in their early fifties, they lived on Mom’s teaching salary while Dad learned to sell farm real estate.

But could they possibly have known that all would go well once they were married. They grew up in the Roaring Twenties, heard of the horrors of the Great War with its gas and trench warfare, lived through the struggles of Prohibition, the Scopes Trial, and the Great Depression. The answer was for me a clear yes! once their courtship letters surfaced after they had passed away.

To see why, walk with me through these selected excerpts. Watch how quickly they recognize in the encountering phase of their relationship that the person they enjoy is a soulmate. Notice in the excerpts from the questioning phase how their way of mutually addressing a perceived brokenness deepens their mutual worthiness and trust. Try to picture what underlies the freedom and joy they experience when they envision ways of helping each other once they get married in the abiding phase of their courtship.

Of course, we’ve our own set of issues: the ongoing wars in Ukraine and Iran; the political divisions and self-serving leaders; economic insecurity and AI uncertainty; global warming and environmental catastrophes; mental health problems and PTSDs to name a few. Yet, somehow tied into our personal concerns are the cross-cultural concerns for life, worthiness, disclosure, relationships, brokenness, and death as well as our the long-standing desires for personal superiority, social influence, and oneness with life when addressing them. Hopefully, by seeing how these basic concerns and desires were being manifest and addressed in the lives and relationships of my parents you will better see how we should understand and address them today.

Recognizing A Soulmate

Some possible things to seek in a lasting and joy-filled marital relationship

Resolving Difficulties

Some interesting ways of resolving difficulties when questioning your world.

Planning the Life Ahead