Marriage Course - August 20, 2012

Day 4 - The Third and Fourth Seasons of Marriage - Autumn and Winter

Autumn
• season of richness and maturity-reaping
• the benefits of what has gone before
• marriage more established having weathered tough times
• may be teenagers in the house
• emotionally the most exhausting stage of parenting
• the greatest need is to support and encourage each other

Winter
• empty-nest stage for many
• probably fewer demands with an opportunity for more time together
• can be the most exciting stage of marriage
• the greatest needs are shared interests and good communication

Question:Reflect on what you've heard so far. If you are in one of these seasons, talk together about the pressures you've worked through until now in your relationship, and the pressures you're currently facing. If you’re not here yet, what do you think it will be like?

From Series: "Marriage"

Study Guide

More From "Marriage"

Powered by Series Engine

  • make your husband or wife feel like the most important person in the world to you
  • focus on what you like and admire about your partner
  • express gratitude for what your partner does
  • show appreciation for who your partner is
  • make it a daily discipline

Write down six things you appreciate about your husband or wife.  (Be specific: it may be thanking them for what they do, or it may be expressing your appreciation for who they are-try to make it a mixture looking particularly for things you may have come to take for granted)

When you have both finished, show each other what you have put.

You may wish to use the worksheet below for this question: