This Mystery Is Great

I hate marriage counseling. You see people at their worst. People who you love. People you thought were better than this. People who appear to be on the verge of destroying the most important asset they have in their war against the devil - and perhaps lose that war in the process.
I also love marriage counseling. You have a chance to remind people of the things about marriage that they already know, because (if they are Christians) they read the same textbook you read. You have a chance to provide help that will immeasurably impact their lives on earth for as long as they may live, and in doing so fortify their chances for spending an eternity together in heaven.
In fact, it is very much like being a member of the body of Christ.
As Christians, we struggle in our spiritual marriage to the Lord. Often we disappoint. Occasionally, we are unfaithful. Sometimes the marriage does not survive. But thankfully, we have an advantage: we know the "husband" in this relationship will absolutely do His part. There is no failing on His end. The temptation to fix the problems on the other side of the table is alleviated, since there are no such problems. All that is left is to work on ourselves. If we can bring ourselves to do this, we (with the considerable help of Jesus)
are guaranteed to have a happy and successful spiritual marriage.
The purpose behind this book is to help both marriages. The relationship between God and His people is repeatedly couched in the figure of marriage-from the jealousy of God in the wilderness to the gut-wrenching saga of Hosea and Gomer to the wedding ceremony in John's Revelation. Paul tells us in no uncertain terms in Ephesians 5:32 that his instruction regarding proper husband-wife relations was actually a lesson about how Christ and His church are to inter-act with and for each other. By examining the relationship in front of our noses, we are given spiritual insight into the more ephemeral relationship between the Lord and His people. By growing in the one, we supply ourselves with the tools and the experience we need to grow in the other.