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"

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  • never too soon to start (see the account of John the Baptist in the womb in Luke 1:44, The Bible)
  • never too late to start (see the Parable of the Lost Son in Luke 15: 11-24, The Bible)
  • turn fears and longings into prayers
  • when to pray:
    • with them before they go to sleep
    • teaching them to pray (thank you, sorry, please)
    • on our own
    • with others
    • in traffic jams or when cleaning up or ironing
  • when prompted (often at moments of potential danger or temptation for our child)
  • everyday

what to pray for:

  • friendships
  • schools
  • their health
  • their safety
  • their marriage partner (most children will marry one day and their marriage partner may well already be alive somewhere)
  • their response to God’s love
  • their characters – use the fruit of the Spirit as a list to pray through: love. joy, peace, patience,  kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (see Galatians 5: 22-23, The Bible)
  • pray with them, particularly at bedtime
  • pray for yourselves as parents

Take some time to pray for your child(ren), and plan to make it a regular routine.  Our Christianity 101 Course may help you explore the topic of prayer, God and Christianity in more depth.

 

 

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