Spiritual Intimacy as CouplesSample

Simple Conversations

John and Janet from New Mexico, married 37 years

As with many couples, spiritual conversations were not an active part of our dating life. We talked about taking our future children to church, but when it came to sharing how faith affected our lives, we were often mute. 

Thankfully, as we worked to grow together, these conversations became more natural. One of the simplest ways we have found to grow in spiritual intimacy is to springboard off of something we have recently heard or read. For instance, our pastor recently mentioned the difference between knowing what is really important versus what we think is important. We talked about that off and on over the next few weeks and how we could use the concept in session (we are both therapists), and we will likely come back to it in our personal lives again in the future. 

We have found that it is so easy to pick something interesting (or confusing/unsettling/etc.) from a sermon, podcast, or article and ask some simple questions:

 What are your thoughts about ___________________?

 How do you think you’ll use that information in the future?

Hope for the Future

We used to have weekly calendar and planning meetings where we would go out for coffee or a meal and talk about our plans or do a Bible study together. We even scheduled these meetings when we had children at home. As time went on, our crazy schedules took us away from that process. Such irony, isn’t it?

We would like to get back to that weekly meeting because it provided a focused, relaxing time for us to encourage each other. We were able to have those “what do you think about this idea?” conversations without distractions from home. 

When we take time to focus on the spiritual things we read and hear and relate them to daily living, those conversations flow more readily, and we grow in a multitude of positive ways. 

Reflection

What are your thoughts about _______? 

Have you listened to a sermon or podcast, or read an article or a Bible verse that made you think? If so, share. If not, in the upcoming week, share when you plan to listen or read.