The Sunday Mail
RELATIONSHIPS, love and marriage issues are sometimes complicated as many couples find it difficult to deal with their problems.
While it is difficult to build and maintain perfect relationships, there are couples who are managing their unions well. A number of things come into play when it comes to maintaining a healthy love life and these were explored in Tatenda Katsande’s book, “Wisdom and Romance”.
The book, which is meant to help both single and married people, establishes the unique connection that lies between love and wisdom from a biblical point of view.
The author explored various problems encountered in romantic relationships and suggested solutions, some of which he formulated from scratch.
Successfully choosing the right partner, understanding the spiritual resemblance of a love affair, knowing the right time to enter into a relationship and handling misunderstandings are some of the things discussed in this book.
Katsande pointed out that many people are struggling to work their relationships into marriages while those in marriages are struggling to make happiness a resident in their marriages. He set out to offer guidance to those who find themselves in these circumstances.
“You may have all human qualifications like beauty, financial stability and so on; but without the ability to mix love and wisdom, happiness cannot come out of that affair,” reads part of the book.
Problems in relationships might emanate from choosing the wrong life partner, which usually occurs when one is in a rush or is pressured to get married.
He highlighted that beauty should never be the sole influence in choosing a life partner. Getting it wrong at this stage will jeopardise the future, turning marriage into a prison.
The author elaborated on this scenario, pointing out some of the devastating effects of getting married without getting to know the partner.
“If you have a wrong partner in the house, your career is finished and your destiny is molested,” wrote Katsande while explaining how a bad marriage decision can lead to the scarcity of happiness.
He used various biblical references as well as real life examples while pointing out that wisdom is a significant factor in any successful relationship.
There are mixed views when it comes to defining what true love is and Katsande outlined elements that make up his definition of the topic.
“I think true love endures every cliff, valley and mountain. It is unconditional, meaning nothing can deter love from being shared. It stands the test of time. It knows no boundaries or limitations. It is not the brainchild of material but potential which lies in both parties,” wrote the author.
Numerous other topics were also covered in the book, with the author tackling relationships from the phase when individuals are still single to the time when they get married.
This book gave me insight into the realms of love and romance, expanding my knowledge base on the subject.
However, the author was rather repetitive on some elements while several points were too generalised, carrying traces of stereotyping. In the following statement, the writer alienated Christians from other beliefs, which was not a very good idea considering that his audience is broad:
“If you ever want to live a happy life, never get married to an unbeliever. From the definition of marriage you can see that it was never created for unbelievers.
“If you happen to get married to one, you are bound to be abused; this is because they don’t know what marriage is.”
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