Married Couples Zoom Meeting— Monday, October 26, 2020 By Darlene McGovern

Sixteen couples participated in the evening.  Because of Zoom, couples were able to join us from Florida.  Lisa and Francis Brogan gave a talk titled Grow, Stand Still or Go Backward: Marriage in the Time of COVID.  Acknowledging the changes visited upon us by the virus – from upended home lives, to financial worries, to wildly altered job situations – and the practical and emotional impact of it all, they shared honestly and openly about what happened in their marriage, and encouraged us to examine what happened in ours.  

Knowing that things could have gone a number of different ways, Francis and Lisa told us about they remembered that God had to be at the center of their marriage, especially in challenging times.  They recalled the image of the 3-legged stool, with each of them and God supporting the marriage equally – without all 3 legs, the stool cannot stand.  Keeping God at the front and center of their relationship, including more spiritual pursuits and prayer in their daily routines, they felt that they acted more often as a team, consulted each other more frequently, and came to understand one another better.  Remembering God’s centrality to their marriage helped them to grow under trying circumstances.  

The couples all had the opportunity to share individually and with the group.  Most of the couples agreed that they experienced a bit of all three outcomes, growing, standing still and going backwards in their marriage in the course of the pandemic.  They all knew that God was an important part of dealing with this unique challenge.

Their talk concluded with the song “What Are You Still Doin’ Here” by Wayne Watson.  I encourage you to listen to it.  Take the opportunity to discuss with your spouse how the pandemic affected your marriage.  Have you grown, stood still or gone backwards?