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Series Code: TIJ
Program Code: TIJ006102S
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00:24 "Music and clicking"
00:35 For thousands of years the same yellow sun has risen 00:39 over the vast collection of people that in the last century 00:43 we have come to call India. 00:45 The term country just doesn't seem to capture it. 00:49 Twenty-eight states, more like 28 countries with a multitude 00:54 of traditions, languages, and styles stretching over a 00:58 geography that varies from the soaring Himalayas 01:02 to the steamy Bay of Bengal and yet within this riot of 01:09 color and culture, one building has come to represent India 01:14 to the world. 01:26 Ivory-colored stone intricately carved and perfectly 01:30 proportioned glows in the rising sun. 01:33 Its central dome and flanking towers soar above the plain 01:39 of Agra. Here shimmering in the sun beside the River Yamuna 01:44 is one of the most celebrated buildings in all the world. 01:54 Breathtaking isn't it? 01:56 It's no wonder the United Nations has awarded it 01:59 World Heritage Status, more than two million people 02:03 travel here every year to admire it's architectural beauty 02:07 but few know the equally beautiful story behind its 02:11 construction. Today we will journey into this magnificent 02:16 masterpiece and discover the lessons this building contains. 02:21 Lessons of love that are shared with the greatest book 02:25 the world has ever known revealing practical tips 02:27 for those strained relationships that cause us so much stress 02:33 and hurt. 02:51 The very approach to the Taj Mahal shows why historian 02:55 believe it to be the finest example of 02:58 Imperial Mughal Architecture in India. 03:01 The Great Gate is a monumental construction in mostly red 03:07 marble that mirrors the greatness of the 03:10 earlier emperors. 03:11 It's surfaces are decorated with sacred scriptures 03:15 and the elaborate geometric designs that are found in other 03:19 red sandstone buildings in the complex. 03:23 But these intricacies are only a pale reflection of the beauty 03:28 that lies beyond. 03:34 The Taj Mahal is the creation of the greatest emperor 03:39 during the golden age of the Mughal Empire, Shah Jahan. 03:43 In 1632 the emperor ordered construction to begin on a 03:49 complex that would take thousands of craftsmen 03:53 22 years to complete. 03:55 It would bring together the best that man and nature 03:59 could provide. A garden 300 meters on each side incorporates 04:05 raised pathways and reflection pools that represent the 04:09 rivers of paradise and the culmination of this earthly 04:13 beauty four Muslim Minarets that surround a fabulously 04:18 decorated 35 meter white marble cube crowned by 04:23 an iconic onion dome. 04:24 The Taj Mahal is widely acknowledged as one of 04:30 The Seven Wonders of the World, but there's more to its claim 04:33 to fame than awe-inspiring architecture. 04:36 The Taj Mahal might be the creation of a king but it isn't 04:41 a palace, it's actually a tomb built to commemorate 04:45 a love story that is even more beautiful than its pale 04:49 white walls. This magnificent work of art is a monument to 04:53 an unusual relationship and its story starts further up 04:57 the river Yamuna. 04:59 "Music" 05:08 Every spectacular red fort was Shah Jahan's palace 05:12 and the seat of his empire, it was a statement of his power 05:16 and prestige. The fitting of the greatest empire India had 05:20 ever known and every other part of his life was expected 05:25 to follow suit, including his marriage. 05:28 In Shah Jahan's day royal marriages were almost always 05:35 a matter of political alliance, there was expected to be a 05:39 payoff for getting hitched but Shah Jahan chose differently. 05:43 One day Shah Jahan was visiting a certain royal bazaar 05:50 and his eye fell on Arjumand Begum. 05:53 Now, he was a man used to beautiful things 05:57 but Arjumand arrested his eye, she would become the unquestioned 06:03 love of his life. The Emperor asked for her hand in marriage 06:09 and was accepted but they had to wait five long years 06:12 before court astrologers decreed that the stars were properly 06:16 aligned for a royal wedding. During that time Jahan and 06:21 Arjumand never met, never saw each other but their love 06:26 remained strong. 06:27 From the day of their wedding, the two became inseparable 06:33 Royal poets wrote the Beauty of Arjumand made the moon 06:37 hide its face in shame, but Shah appreciated much more 06:42 than her physical beauty. 06:44 His bride proved so intelligent that she soon became his 06:49 most trusted political adviser. She was generous and 06:52 compassionate, each day drawing up lists of helpless widows and 06:57 orphans and making sure their needs were attended to. 07:01 Arjumand bore her husband many children and despite the complex 07:07 problems of ruling an empire, Shah Jahan enjoyed 07:11 an idyllic existence with his wife. 07:14 Shah Jahan was so taken with his wife that she became 07:19 not only his chief consort, but his empress and he conferred 07:23 on her the title by which he is still known today 07:27 Mumtaz Mahal, the chosen one of the palace. 07:32 When the Shire was to go into a military expedition 07:36 against rebel forces in the South of India, Mumtaz Mahal 07:40 insisted on going along to be at his side even though 07:44 she was pregnant and it was during this campaign that 07:48 tragedy struck. 07:49 After giving birth to her 14th child Mumtaz died 07:55 Shah Jahan was devastated. 07:58 "Chanting" 08:17 He locked himself in his quarters and refused to eat 08:21 he lay moaning on his bed for eight long days and when 08:26 Shah finally emerged, he seemed to have aged several years. 08:30 Mumtaz Mahal the love of his life was gone, 08:35 the love that seemed eternal snatched away but this man 08:40 found a way to immortalize his passion, 08:43 he decided to build a mausoleum for his empress as beautiful 08:48 as their love and so the Taj Mahal was built. 08:53 An exquisite monument enshrining Mumtaz Mahal's 08:57 remains, the perfect match had been cut short but Shah Jahan 09:03 made sure it would be remembered for ages to come 09:06 in this exquisite structure this would be the emperor 09:13 monument to their love. 09:14 When people stand before this structure, they are really 09:18 at the physical manifestation of a commitment that transcends 09:23 even death and many are moved by the eloquence of one mans 09:28 undying devotion to his wife. 09:36 The Taj Mahal is a wonderful monument but you know 09:41 I believe each of us can build and equally beautiful 09:44 living monument with our marriages. 09:47 In a world of stunted relationships we can each make 09:52 our own eloquent statements about undying love. 10:01 We all love someone or something we are made for giving and 10:06 receiving love, Solomon who was supposedly the wisest man 10:11 who ever lived suggested there was something wonderful 10:14 almost mysterious about a couple falling in love. 10:18 Are we any closer in our current times 10:21 in understanding how we fall in love? 10:24 Current brain research is providing new insights into 10:29 the nature of love, we're discovering more about 10:32 how the different parts of our brain and our various hormones 10:36 work together to produce feelings of love and affection. 10:40 Many people fail to understand love because they think of it 10:44 as a single thing, a feeling or emotion, it certainly includes 10:49 that but love is actually more like the ancient 10:53 Indian art we call Pietra Jura, highly polished colored stones 10:59 and other materials are glued or driven into a surface 11:03 to create an intricate pattern... 11:05 God's idea of eternal love works the same way 11:10 many appealing elements making up the one beautiful 11:14 relationship. 11:17 You can see the same technique employed in the decorations 11:22 in the Taj Mahal, many elements making up one beautiful result 11:28 and the best place to find it in the Bible 11:31 is Paul's first letter to the Corinthians Chapter 13 11:36 is the Bible's great love chapter and it's as beautiful 11:40 and if not grander than the Taj Mahal. 11:51 After telling us without God's kind of love we accomplish 11:55 nothing, we are nothing, Paul focuses on its specific 11:59 qualities, he tells us the way love behaves... 12:21 In these two verses, Paul contrasts two mindsets 12:26 patience and kindness, verses pride, boastfulness, 12:31 selfishness, and anger. The first expresses love 12:35 and builds it up, the second destroys it. 12:40 God's kind of love is the great adversary of selfishness. 12:45 The self-centered life is always trying to protect itself 12:50 keeping threats away by putting up a proud boastful exterior 12:56 it's a me against them approach one that's easily irritated 13:01 and angered. 13:08 Love is God's weapon against this most basic human problem 13:13 selfishness, the person who is receiving and giving God's 13:18 kind of love is secure enough to move beyond that little 13:21 circle of self. He's able to be sensitive to other people's 13:25 needs as well as his own, this love is the bedrock of a 13:31 lasting marriage. 13:32 Nowhere is it more essential and in the union of two individuals 13:37 marriage requires that we step out of ourselves 13:41 now that is easy to do at first when the heat of infatuation 13:46 drives us to gaze lovingly into the eyes of our beloved 13:50 but as the years go by that old tendency to self-centeredness 13:56 catches up with us. 13:57 Giving our time, our attention our concern, ourselves 14:03 to our mate doesn't always come naturally. 14:07 Only God's love is strong enough to keep us giving 14:13 throughout a lifetime. 14:14 Only His love can generate patient kindness when the going 14:19 gets rough, that's when it really counts isn't it? 14:23 It's easy to love when the flowers are blooming 14:26 and your spouse is beaming and the paycheck just came in, 14:30 but when the garden flops, and your spouse is fuming 14:34 and the bills flood in, human love usually collapses. 14:38 That handsome groom that seemed to charming and considerate 14:43 leaves his dirty socks on the floor and spends most weekends 14:48 watching TV and that lovely bride who seems so sweet 14:53 gets irritable and spends a time on the phone gossiping 14:58 to friends, sooner or later we all realize we didn't marry 15:03 Mr. Wonderful, always perfect. 15:06 This is when the conflict becomes more frequent 15:09 in the relationship, now we all know that conflict is 15:13 inevitable as there are two viewpoints coming into 15:17 the relationship but the key is how we take time to listen 15:22 and understand what is important to one another and work together 15:26 Patience, forbearance, kindness during the tough times 15:34 that's God's kind of love. 15:36 Burt was driving to work one morning during rush hour 15:40 and got a little too close to the man in the car ahead, 15:43 when he put on his brakes, she didn't stop in time 15:47 and crunched into his rear fender, both cars stop 15:51 Burt got out, surveyed the damage and broke into tears 15:56 she knew it was her fault and her car was brand new 16:00 just two days from the show room. How was she ever 16:05 going to face her husband? 16:06 The other driver was sympathetic but explained that they needed 16:11 to note each other's license and rego numbers. 16:14 So Beck reached into her glove compartment to get the 16:18 documents, but when she pulled them out, she saw there 16:21 was a note attached, in the heavy masculine scroll of her 16:25 husband were these words addressed to her. 16:28 In case of accident, remember Honey it's you I love 16:34 not the car. 16:35 That's kindness when it really counts. 16:38 That's the kind of love that lasts a lifetime. 16:42 Millions come to see the Taj Mahal every year 16:47 but many miss an interesting feature inscribed on the walls 16:51 of this majestic building. 16:52 Passages of the Koran are inscribed throughout the complex 16:56 as decorative elements, they were chosen to reflect 17:00 themes of judgment in the building that has come to 17:03 symbolize the love of a husband for his wife there are hundreds 17:07 of reminders that God has His eye on the way we treat 17:11 each other and will hold us to account. 17:14 The self-centered lash out at problems while the patient 17:19 try to solve them, the self- centered react in anger 17:24 to any threat while the patient overcome anger with kindness. 17:29 There was a time when venting your feelings were standard 17:34 advice for married couples, we've come to realize that 17:38 suppressing anger, holding it inside is emotionally 17:41 unhealthy even a threat to physical health 17:45 so the solution was to get it all out. 17:49 Healthy relationships we were told require total honesty 17:54 you must say exactly what you feel but intense expressions 18:00 of anger, resentment and dislike don't solve too many 18:04 problems. Expressing anger freely usually doesn't make it 18:09 go away, it only intensifies it ugly habits are reinforced. 18:15 A survey was carried out involving 350 couples 18:21 who had been married for 15 years or more, the goal was to 18:25 discover what makes lasting relationships work 18:29 It discovered that the majority of these happily married couples 18:34 strongly agreed that regularly expressing your anger 18:38 in an intense way could have damaging effects. 18:42 They felt restraint was important and that a certain 18:46 calmness is necessary in order to deal with conflict 18:50 constructively. It's still true that as the book of 18:55 Proverbs says... 19:00 Patience and kindness are what solve problems and they are 19:04 what binds people closer and closer together 19:07 over the decades. 19:08 Paul's Letter to the Corinthians tells us... 19:24 Did you know that there are and an awful lot of couples 19:28 who seem to delight in evil, they love keeping a record 19:32 of wrongs and as the years go by people often notice 19:36 more and more imperfections and weaknesses in their spouse. 19:40 What a difference it would make if we concentrated on the best 19:46 in our partners rather than keep a record of their wrongs. 19:50 Selfishness dulls a relationship love values, protects, polishes, 19:57 God's kind of love focuses on the good in the other 20:02 it emphasizes the best. 20:04 Do you appreciate your partner? Then express that appreciation 20:10 it will diminish and may even die if it isn't given a voice 20:15 but your love will blossom if it is expressed 20:18 focusing on the positive does make a difference, 20:23 it can transform our perspective and put an end to problems 20:27 before they take root. 20:29 There was a young wife named Amber who walked into 20:33 her pastor's office one day looking terribly depressed 20:37 she began to pour out a long painful story about her husband 20:42 Ben, he treated her with contempt, nothing she did 20:46 pleased him. Each day she dreaded the moment he 20:50 returned home from work. Now, Amber was a beautiful 20:54 young woman but her sense of rejection had turned her into 20:58 defeated, tense, and distant wife and the more she felt 21:03 Ben's disdain, the less motivated she became to please 21:06 him. Amber was trapped in a vicious cycle, 21:10 the pastor decided he better have a visit with Ben. 21:15 This guy was astounded to hear that he was the cause of his 21:20 wife's depression, like most men, he didn't understand 21:24 how well he could read his wife's attitude toward her. 21:27 Well, this pastor came up with one specific suggestion, 21:32 find 10 positive qualities in Amber, he said 21:37 and thank God for them, thank God twice a day 21:41 on the way to and home from work. 21:44 Now that didn't seem so hard so Ben agreed. 21:49 Ben began thanking God for the things he liked about Amber 21:54 and before long, she actually began to change before his eyes 21:59 she became more affectionate, Ben continued to be thankful 22:04 for her and Amber grew in self-respect and motivation. 22:08 After some time the pastor asked Ben if he'd memorized 22:13 his list of Amber's 10 positive qualities. 22:16 He replied I've not only got them memorized, 22:20 I'm finding a new ones to be grateful for every day. 22:24 Now wouldn't it be wonderful if each of us decided to 22:29 find new things to be grateful for in our spouses? 22:33 Instead of looking at the flaws, the things that irritate, 22:37 we decided to discover and appreciate those faucets 22:41 that reflect God's glory the best. 22:44 If you are having a hard time appreciating your husband 22:50 or wife, let me challenge you to do one simple thing. 22:53 Write down things that you do like about him or her. 22:58 Now if you're wrestling with bitter experiences it'll be 23:02 hard at first, the pool to keep records of right or wrongs 23:06 is hard to resist. But look hard, look carefully, 23:11 there are qualities you can appreciate in your spouse, 23:15 begin by concentrating on them, thanking God for them, 23:20 and I believe you will see your partner transformed before 23:24 your very eyes. 23:28 Some senior couples declare that they're experiencing 23:31 the best love in all the time they were together, 23:34 are they just being forgetful? Or might they be close to the 23:38 truth? I think they might be right. 23:41 A marriage as God intended it does get better with time, 23:46 a marriage filled with love, forgiveness, kindness, 23:50 a marriage that looks out for the other rather than yourself. 23:55 That's a beautiful thing which reflects in an earthly way 23:59 the immense love that God has for all of us. 24:03 Like Shah Jahan, God loves us with an everlasting love 24:08 that transcends even death and through our marriages 24:13 we can show an example of that love to others in the world. 24:17 We have the privilege of something divine as a couple 24:23 each of us in our homes can build a Taj Mahal, 24:27 our lasting monument. 24:30 Shah Jahan the builder of that splendid tomb experienced 24:38 one more great tragedy sometime after the death of his beloved 24:42 wife, his own son became greedy for power and turned against him. 24:48 In 1658 the son led a plot against his father and 24:54 usurped the throne. Shah Jahan was confined in his own palace 24:59 he lived there the last eight years of his life 25:02 a prisoner in a gilded cage but he had one consolation 25:08 through his window, he could look out across the Ganga River 25:13 and see his wife's resting place, the monument still stood 25:18 the symbol of his love remained as beautiful as ever. 25:22 It said that when the guards found Shah Jahan dead 25:27 at the age of 74, his eyes were still, open fixed on the 25:32 sparkling jewel or the Taj Mahal. 25:35 God wants each one of us to have a monument like that 25:43 an expression of the love that lasts forever, 25:46 He wants our marriages to fulfill that high calling, 25:50 He longs for our homes to be a foretaste of heaven. 25:54 And we can have that kind of marriage if we center our lives 25:58 on God's kind of love. That can become our greatest resource 26:04 the love that God gives if we are feeding our hearts 26:08 and minds on that each day we'll be able to exhibit 26:12 patient kindness and believe the best when it really counts. 26:20 Being in a healthy and happy relationship can be one of the 26:24 most rewarding things you'll ever experience. 26:27 If you would like to learn more about strengthening relationships 26:31 then I'd like to recommend the free gift we have 26:34 for all our Incredible Journey viewers today. 26:38 It's a booklet called 14 Steps To A Happy Marriage, 26:43 this booklet is our gift to you and is absolutely free 26:47 I guarantee there are no costs or obligations whatsoever. 26:51 So, make the most of this wonderful opportunity to receive 26:55 the free gift we have for you today. 26:58 Phone or text 0436.333.555 in Australia or 020.422.2042 27:08 in New Zealand or visit our website TIJ.tv or simply 27:13 scan the QR code on your screen and we'll send you today's 27:18 free offer totally free of charge and with no obligation. 27:22 Write to us at GPO Box 274 Sydney NSW 2001 Australia 27:29 or PO Box 76673 Manukau Auckland, 2241 New Zealand. 27:36 Don't delay, call or text us now. 27:39 Be sure to join us again next week when we will share another 27:44 of life's journeys together, until then let's pray to 27:48 the God who loves each one of us. 27:51 Dear Heavenly Father, Our relationships our marriages 27:56 are so vitally important to us, so vitally important to our 28:01 happiness and well-being and Father, we pray that you will 28:06 build those relationships, that we will base them on the 28:10 foundation of your love. 28:12 Bless each one of us now we pray and grant us Your love 28:16 and your blessing for we ask this in Jesus' name, 28:20 Amen! |
Revised 2024-03-13