Marriage
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Updated
May 29, 2008
Missionary Dr. Albert L. Shelton said that the first wedding he performed in Tibet was a memorable one. The bride and groom had never seen each other until they arrived for the ceremony. The groom, a Chinese man, was a little over five feet tall. The bride a Tibetan, was nearly six feet tall.
But that was not the important difference. He could not speak a word of Tibetan. She could not speak a word of Chinese. The ceremony had to be conducted in both languages. For some time afterward if the couple wished to have any conversation, they had to call in an interpreter. It probably saved them from a lot of useless arguments!
Marriage counseling is often simply calling in an interpreter. It is not that a couple cannot understand one another's words. It is rather that they cannot understand one another's actions. Those actions must be interpreted and that is what we call marital counseling.
But that was not the important difference. He could not speak a word of Tibetan. She could not speak a word of Chinese. The ceremony had to be conducted in both languages. For some time afterward if the couple wished to have any conversation, they had to call in an interpreter. It probably saved them from a lot of useless arguments!
Marriage counseling is often simply calling in an interpreter. It is not that a couple cannot understand one another's words. It is rather that they cannot understand one another's actions. Those actions must be interpreted and that is what we call marital counseling.