A recent This American Life podcast features an interview between Ira Glass, the podcast host, and a marriage therapist named Esther Perel. Ira Glass asks Dr. Perel, "I was wondering if, in your line of work, it makes you feel hopeful for most couples, and hopeful for the idea of people finding what they want with their partners?"

Perel, who has counseled thousands of married couples, said:

You know, the thing that just popped in my head is I have days where I have faith in humanity and days when I don't. I'll answer you from a different angle. I once wanted to write an article on couples that inspire. And I asked about 60, 70 people, at the time, if they knew of couples that inspired them. And the vast majority could sometimes come up with one.

I never wrote the piece, but it's the answer to your question, right? It's that we can see some couples who are very good at this and some couples who are very good at that, but we don't have that many models where we just say, wow, this is who I want to be, how I want to be.

Possible Preaching Angles (1) Dr. Perel's quote could challenge and inspire married Christian couples to be that model for others. (2) This quote could show all married couples how much we all need God's grace and the power of the Holy Spirit.