Eileen: How is God challenging you personally through your marriage?
Cris: It’s fun to be able to help answer a question here and there. :) Jean and I have been married for over a year now (time flies by so quickly!) and if you asked me on any given day how our marriage was going, I'd respond with two thumbs up and positive comments. But this doesn't mean there isn't room for growth in how we love each other.
Over the past 5 weeks we've been taking part in a training course on communication within marriage. (The goal is to be trained in how to guide other couples in the techniques provided by the course and to foster improved communication.)
What I was surprised by was an exercise where we wrote down the behaviors that our spouse does / once did that made us feel loved. When I saw Jean's list, I found that most of the things on her list were things I was doing presently. However, two items (planning special dates and giving thoughtful gifts) were in the "once did" column.
What I was surprised by was an exercise where we wrote down the behaviors that our spouse does / once did that made us feel loved. When I saw Jean's list, I found that most of the things on her list were things I was doing presently. However, two items (planning special dates and giving thoughtful gifts) were in the "once did" column.
After some reflection and prayer, I came to the understanding that those were the two behaviors that required the most time and personal effort to do - all the other items came more naturally. So I feel God asking me, "Why do you no longer do those things? Are you willing to love just a bit more self-sacrificially? Are you willing to love a little bit more like the way I love you?" It's hard to say no when He puts it that way. :)
Simply put, God is challenging us to continue growing in our capacity to love each other selflessly.
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