Spiritual Intimacy as Couplesنموونە

Pursuing Community 

Tyner and Tiffany from Tennessee, married 13 years

We were in our 20’s when we got married.  Looking back, we were babies, but no one could have told us that at the time.

Early in marriage, praying together was awkward. Growing up, I (Tyner) was taught to pray by myself.  When I (Tiffany) saw Tyner uncomfortable with prayer, I didn’t know how to respond or navigate asking for something different. We were still processing what our parents and faith leaders had taught us, as well as deciding what we truly believed. We also didn’t know how to act when we disagreed with one another or even how to fully communicate what we wanted and needed from each other in those moments.

In time, we found that prayer could push joy into our lives even when it was uncomfortable. 

We have also learned to celebrate our differences, because they can draw us closer as a couple.  If we only focus on our similarities, we are missing a piece of each other in the process.  In 1 Corinthians 12: 12 – 28, we learn about the body of Christ; each part is needed. We are unique individuals who can celebrate our differences while remaining one body.    

Hope for the Future

We have young kids, so it is hard…like really hard! For others who have been in this space too, we see you. We love our kiddos deeply, and honestly have reveled in learning about our faith by aiming to model and teach our kids about God. Daily, though we realize we must prioritize time for each other. Recently, we relocated and joined a Sunday school group. It has been an amazing place of support for us, so we want to invest in some of these couples by scheduling a couple’s date night. We hope to build closer relationships with other couples who are also wrestling with loving God and loving others in our community. We know that God has called us to be in community, so we truly believe that this will allow us to be better parents and better humans if we prioritize this time.

Reflection

How have you engaged or resisted community in the past?

Discuss your similarities and differences.