Some years ago, a friend I had not seen for over 20 years reconnected with me through Facebook. He told me he now lived in Abuja and invited me to visit whenever I was in town. Eventually, my wife and I had a program in Abuja, and we visited him. He had grown into a successful businessman, blessed and doing well. While we sat in his office, we laughed and reminisced about our secondary school days our nicknames, funny moments, even some mischief that got us into trouble back then. My wife couldn’t stop laughing as the stories unfolded.
However, during our conversation, his staff occasionally came in for instructions or signatures. Each time, I noticed a clear shift his tone became firm, serious, and official. When we left, I asked my wife if she noticed the two different relationships on display: one friendly and relaxed, the other official and structured. We said things and joked in ways only true friends could, but his staff could never relate with him like that because their relationship was strictly professional.
This is a powerful lesson for marriage. Many couples relate more like officials than friends everything is serious, structured, and tense. They argue over things friends would laugh about and overlook. Marriage is not meant to be a rigid institution; it is a companionship. Your spouse should be the one you can laugh with, play with, gist with, and be completely yourself around. When friendship is missing, marriage becomes burdensome. But when friendship is alive, love flows naturally, communication becomes easy, and joy fills the home.
