At the height of the pandemic, I was blessed to have found solace and inspiration on Instagram by watching a video series of women openly discussing their faith journeys.
Digital content creator and marriage coach Love Cosio hosted the regular Instagram Live sessions. She, I later found out, is half of the husband-and-wife tandem who authored the award-winning book Love Connect: The Couple’s Language to a Happy Marriage, targeted at married couples.
Her husband, Dreus, a corporate speaker, retreat facilitator, marriage coach, and content creator, leads The Feast Carmona. The Feast is a weekly gathering of the Light of Jesus Family (LOJ), a Catholic community founded by Bo Sanchez. The gathering, which includes prayer, worship, and talks on Christian living, has several chapters in the country.
Dreus and Love stand as a clear example of genuine love and faith in a society filled with surface-level connections. It is fitting that their love story began in youth ministry. For Love, it was a “crush at first sight” moment, seeing Dreus playing the guitar and worshipping.
She giddily shared, “As an NBSB [No Boyfriend Since Birth] girl, I prayed for him!” This foundation of faith was crucial. She added, “Maybe it was also one of the inspirations in building a ministry around marriage. That it’s not a ‘fairytale’ but more of a tale of the faithful ones. It’s not all kilig.”
When asked about challenges in marriage, Dreus listed, “Death of my mother, waiting season to have kids, losing money from an investment, challenges in balancing marriage and in-laws, and finding time to be with the kids while working hard for the family.”
Love agreed and detailed that it took five years before they had their first child. These days, she shared, are more about balancing marriage and parenting, as they have already been blessed with a daughter and son.
Apart from what the couple refers to as a daily commitment, faith also acts as their anchor. “It aligns us, and it’s our biggest connector as husband and wife,” Dreus affirmed. Love echoed, “Big one! It grounds us and strips us of unnecessary pride and selfishness.”
Given their colorful journey, the couple shared nuggets of marriage wisdom. Dreus said, “It’s being intentional even when you do not feel like doing things. You really have to prioritize marriage. Happiness is not the main purpose of marriage but holiness.”
Love, in turn, emphasized, “That perfect marriage cannot exist, but a healthy and happy one can. That’s why you both have to work hard on it.”
Content creation as a venture for Dreus and Love stemmed from a desire to support other couples. They creatively come up with informative skits on TikTok and Instagram.
Dreus explained, “We really want to help couples win in marriage as much as we want to win in our own family life.” Love agreed, “We love being married. It’s a partnership like no other.”
The couple keeps their eyes on the prize. “I get to do it with my wife,” Dreus shared what the best part of collaborating with Love is. Sharing valuable insights with others, he added, is a bonus. Love added, “It’s our ‘date time.’ When we do video content, we have guestings, talks—those become our ‘alone time.’”
Knowing how intense social media platforms can become, doubts have surfaced at some points for Dreus and Love. The man of the house admitted, “Doubt comes in when physical tiredness kicks in, as well as when there is criticism that we are just a young couple.”
He continued, “We just think of the couples that might be blessed by what we share, then it’s worth it.”
Love agreed and added, “At the end of the day, we know our purpose. We do not force our ways on people, but we make help available to them.”
The couple’s book collaboration, Love Connect, was born from a desire to provide others with guidance. Dreus and Love explained that what was initially meant to be a guide for their kids spilled over to other audiences. The pieces of feedback they have received have been deeply moving. Dreus shared, “Couples approach or send us messages.” Some would-be married couples, he said, buy their book as a guide.
Dreus and Love have gone beyond social media and publishing as marriage coaches. In their upcoming marriage workshop, Love Deeper, they aim to help couples foster deeper communication. Dreus said, “It’s a breathing space for married couples to reconnect to each other.” Love added, “Love Deeper is for married couples who want to strengthen their connection through meaningful conversations. They can expect fun, creative, and meaningful time together.”
For couples seeking to deepen their connection, Dreus offered, “Be committed to building the habit of listening.” Love agreed, “Do it daily. Marriage is not magic. It’s pure hard work that needs healing from past wounds, so you need to keep on practicing good habits until you master them.”
“I call it ‘walang atrasan, walang hiwalayan’ (no turning back, no separation),” Dreus said about marriage. Love solidified this by saying, “Marriage is beautiful. When two imperfect people commit to work on themselves, their partnership, and their calling, they can overcome challenges along the way.”
Dreus and Love are proof that marriage is bliss fueled by faith and effort. A strong faith, as Love explained, “teaches what to hold on to and to let go of.” It truly empowers and allows couples to fight through challenges and love deeper.
To sign up for Dreus and Love’s Love Deeper Marriage Workshop on March 15, log on to https://bit.ly/lovedeepercouples. Follow them (@dreuscosio and @lovecosio) on social media for more information.
For your random thoughts, e-mail Kate at randomrepublika@gmail.com.
