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

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  • we’re not incompatible unless we refuse to change
  • we can change ourselves; we cannot change each other
  • we can only change when we know what matters to each other
  • we must tell each other what frustrates and hurts us
  • much conflict arises from our different assumptions about the way things should be
  • important to be aware of our own and each other’s values (often learned during our upbringing)
  • requesting change is helpful; demanding change is harmful

Complete the worksheet below.  Even if you don’t have children today, complete it if you intend to have children in the future: