Marriage Course - August 24, 2012

Day 8 - Nurture Each Other

Marriage

Nurturing involves seeking to meet each other’s emotional needs for affection, encouragement, support, comfort, etc,

• we all have a longing to be loved and to be known by another
• empty space inside that needs to be filled up with love
• when empty, we feel alone or lonely giving each other emotional support refills the empty space inside
• we are made for close relationships

How to nurture
Be proactive rather than reactive:
• being reactive means focusing on each others shortcomings
• being proactive means focusing on each other’s needs
• proactive behavior draws couples together because each one feels loved; when we feel loved, we feel like loving

Study each other:
• recognize each other’s needs
• often our partner’s needs and desires will be different to our own
• discover what matters to your husband or wife. otherwise we tend to give what we like to receive.
• needs change over time
• make requests, not demands
• we can't assume our husband or wife automatically knows our desires. We must tell each other.

Question:Complete the worksheet under "Extras -> Study Guide"

From Series: "Marriage"

Study Guide

More Messages Associated With "Family"...

Powered by Series Engine


Teenagers needs the confidence that comes from knowing they are loved.  Their behaviour often acts like a gauge showing how full of love their internal “emotional tank” is.  Today, we introduce the concept of the five love languages as a way of expressing love to our teenagers in order for them to feel loved.

  • Our teenagers’ greatest need is to feel loved and accepted during this enormous transition in their lives a time of:
    • self- discovery
    • pushing for independence
    • much self-questioning
    • peer pressure
    • they can experience a lot of self-doubt and feel awkward and unlovable
    • confidence rests on:
      • security (knowing they are loved)
      • self-worth (knowing they are of value)
      • significance (knowing there is a purpose to their lives)
      • seek to keep their emotional tank” full of LOVE:
        • their behavior acts like the gauge to show how full of love they feel
        • knowing that they are loved and accepted enables them in the long-term:
          • to resist peer pressure when they need to
          • to make good choices
          • to build close relationships

Discovering how our teenagers feel loved

  • discover the primary way each teenager feels loved, whether it’s through:
    • time
    • words
    • touch
    • presents
    • actions
    • (see Gary Chapman, The Five Love Languages of Teenagers)
    • importance of a particular love language may have changed as a child has grown older

Question: Which of the five way of expressing love was most important for you during your upbringing?