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Communication in Other Areas
Completion requirements
Communication’s impact extends deeply into the various dimensions of your future together. Finances, Parenting, Spiritual Growth, and Intimacy are just a few. Think about these areas and consider the questions below. How well have you already communicated in these areas? Don’t answer them right now (we’ll look at several as we move ahead). Quickly reflect on which you have already discussed and if there are some that would be more important than others to grapple with sooner than later.
Finances: More Than Just Numbers
Do you know:
- How your partner envisions managing finances once you're married?
- What your partner's financial goals are for the first year, five years, and ten years of your marriage?
- How your partner feels about budgeting for everyday expenses and how often to review it?
- How your partner would prioritize saving, investing, and giving?
- What your partner believes the Bible teaches about financial stewardship?
Parenting: More Than a Family Plan
Do you know:
- How many children your partner envisions you having?
- Your partner's views on discipline and reward in child-rearing?
- How your partner sees your roles as parents complementing each other?
- How your partner wants to incorporate faith and spirituality into your parenting style?
- How your partner would handle disagreements about parenting strategies?
Intimacy: The Unspoken Language of Touch
Do you know:
- How your partner defines intimacy, both emotional and physical?
- What your partner's expectations are for maintaining intimacy in your marriage?
- How important open communication is to your partner in building and maintaining intimacy?
- If your partner has boundaries or practices considered essential for a healthy intimate life?
- How your partner wants to cultivate a culture of affection and warmth in your relationship?
Spiritual Growth: A Shared Spiritual Journey
Do you know:
- What your partner's spiritual goals are for your marriage?
- How your partner thinks you can support each other in your individual spiritual journeys?
- How often your partner would like to engage in shared spiritual practices like prayer or Bible study?
- What role your partner believes faith should play in decision-making within your marriage?
- What spiritual legacy your partner wants to leave for your children and future generations?
Chances are that you weren’t able to answer “Yes!” to all of these questions. No worries. That’s perfectly normal. Even couples who have been married for a long time can struggle to remember their spouse’s position in so many different areas. But this also takes us back to Lesson 1, the idea that marriage is an active, ongoing pursuit. Let’s begin to get some of those answers.
Conversations for Couples
Take a moment to sit down with your partner and consider the following question: "What does the idea of 'two becoming one' mean to you in the context of these conversations about finances, parenting, intimacy, and spiritual growth?"
Reflect on Genesis 2:24, again, which says, "Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh." In light of this scripture, discuss how it frames your understanding of the conversations you need to have in these key areas.
This could be a great time to pray together, asking for wisdom and guidance as you explore these vital topics in the days ahead. Invite the Lord into these conversations, asking for clarity, wisdom, and the unity that comes from a shared vision for your future.
Keep this question in your heart and mind as you proceed through the course.