Wife of the Delta state governor, Dame Edith Okowa, gave the advise during a couple’s forum organized by 05 Initiative with the theme “The Home and the Mystery of Unity.” The event which drew couples across the state was held at the Event Centre in Asaba, the Delta state capital.
In the event which focused essentially on unity and love in the family, Dame Okowa said there is joy in seeing families being together for life.
She said the event, a yearly International day for the family, is aimed at building families, mending fences and healing broken and disunited homes so as to meet the plan of God for the families.
However, she told the gathering that Jesus is the referee of every family, hence for marriages to succeed, they needed to be built on the solid rock of Christ.
Sounding prophetic, the governor’s wife said by the next celebration which is May 15, 2022, marriages will be celebrated and there will be more unions and unity in homes.
Pastor Nnamdi Eze spoke on why families must avoid divorce by all means. According to him, God is against divorce, hence, he banned all reasons whatever advanced by couples for opting for divorce.
He said the success, happiness and unity of families is not based on education or availability of money but the family that must succeed must he anchored on Christ the solid rock.
He told the gathering majorly populated by government officials that marriage is a covenant to love an imperfect person all through life.
He identified insensitivity to the need of each other, bad character, unforgiveness, domestic violence, wrong association and unfaithfulness as some of the causes of broken homes and disunity among couples.
The pastor told the people that God did not plan polygamy for man, he planned male and female for companionship, partnership and healthy relationship
An Anglican Bishop, Ephraim Ikeakor, said so many highly placed individuals do not have good marriages, adding that some are enjoying their marriages while others are enduring.
He said money could buy a good house but cannot buy a happy home. He cited cases of families with fat bank accounts but have disintegrated due to lack of God’s presence in the family.
He said there are Christian marriages and there are worldly marriages and there are Christian homes and traditional homes. He added that most homes and families are built on standards of the world.
He said the home is the microcosm of the larger society, noting that what obtains in the larger society is the offshoot of the family.
The Bishop noted that restiveness among youths and destruction of national assets by youths is an offshoot an ungodly, broken and disunited homes where Christ is kept miles away.
He said: “You cannot keep Christ away from your home and expect to enjoy your marriage. What we see in society today is the practical reflection of what happens in the home.
“God wants the husband and wife to cleave together. Wives carrying their father’s names to their husbands homes is confrontational marriage.”
The fiery Anglican Bishop warned against divorce, saying divorce is a deadly virus ravaging homes across the world. He noted that many people prepare for wedding but do not prepare for marriage.
He told the gathering that from God’s point of view, marriage should not experience divorce, adding that the beginning of call for women liberation and pursuit of women equality with men is the beginning of dissolution of marriages.
