Today is our second anniversary! This week we have been thinking about marriage, and Dave even the opportunity to lead an "idea potluck" for tips to a lasting marriage during Sunday school. Here are some summary thoughts from this week.
1. Marriage is a picture of Christ's relationship with the Church (Eph. 5:22-33). As such, it makes sense that the enemy of God would mount an offensive against marriage. Therefore, spouses must actively build into and protect their marriages.
2. Moses allowed for divorce in the case of marital unfaithfulness (Matt. 19:1-12). For a marriage to last, spouses must intentionally remain faithful to each other. Some have referred to this idea as "affair-proofing your marriage."
3. Jesus explained that Moses allowing divorce was not approval of divorce by any means, rather it was a provision made because of the human sinfulness (Matt. 19:1-12). Since failed marriages are linked to failed humanity (i.e. the sin of Adam), spouses must seek to grow in holiness through faith in Christ.
Here are some of the practical, now-try-this ideas from our brainstorming and the "idea potluck":
1. Keep the TV out of the bedroom. End your days together.
2. Do things that your spouse wants to do. Don't wait to be asked 50 times; try to be unselfish.
3. Speak each other's love language. Do things that will communicate love to your spouse in a way that they can appreciate.
4. Take a personality test, or spiritual gifts test, or love language test together. Keep learning about your spouse.
5. Keep you relationship fresh, don't try to finish each other's sentences.
6. Find something you both like to do and plan on having shared experiences.
7. Be intentionally open about your life / Don't live separate lives. Look for opportunities to spend time with friends together, share your experiences at work.
8. Brag to others about your spouse.
9. Pay each other compliments regularly.
10. Use good manners.
11. Memorize scripture together, study the Bible together, and/or pray together.
12. Pray for each other regularly.
13. Don't "stew" over minor annoyances, take care of the problem while it is still small. Plan on a weekly time to sit and talk in a comfortable, non-confrontational setting about how you can be a better spouse/roommate.
14. Be careful/smart about getting into stressful situation together. i.e. Maybe don't try to give your spouse golf lessons.
15. Be sensitive to your spouse when "joking," especially in public. Don't intentionally humiliate or embarrass your spouse.
1 comment:
Happy Anniversary! I enjoyed reading your lists...some of it sounds similar to what Matt and I are reading in a book titled His Needs, Her Needs. Perhaps you've read it too, not that the ideas area all too unique or groundbreaking. The author though, Bill Harley attends our church. This is also a good reminder that it's been over a week since Matt and I have read our book:)
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