Spiritual Intimacy
There are so many ways that couples can grow closer together
intimately. One of those ways is through spiritual intimacy and that sometimes
can be one of the hardest types of intimacy to achieve. Every individual has a
different relationship with God and are all at different levels with Him. Some
may not even believe in God. When individuals join together in their faith and
beliefs they connect with each other and learn to be spiritually intimate with
each other.
This type of intimacy has brought my husband and I closer
together on so many different levels! The ways that we increase this level of
spiritual intimacy is by praying together every morning and evening, we read
scriptures together, we go to church together, and we then take opportunities
each week to talk about God or go to church events together. My husband and I
are of the same faith so it makes things a little easier because we agree on
religious matters.
Focus on the Family is a great resource to help couples
increase intimacy in their marriage. The link is here: http://www.focusonthefamily.com/marriage/strengthening_your_marriage/spiritual_intimacy/blending_two_spiritual_lives.aspx
This article on blending two spirituals life has so many
great ideas on how to increase spiritual intimacy in your marriage whether you
are of the same faith or not. The article points out ideas and
misunderstandings that occur when you and your spouse may be of different
faiths.
One thing that I want to mention is serving others. Even if
you don’t have a strong faith in God or Christ every person here on earth could
use some kind of service. Not only can service help us look outside of
ourselves but also brings couples together intimately as they strive to serve
those around them. On the website focus on the family they mention a few things
couple can do together;
“Join a small group.
Find a common bond that draws
you together, but beware of the tendency to get too exclusive with your
group. Be open to new members, invite your unchurched neighbors and do
outreach together. This will keep your group balanced and life-giving.
Become a mentor to someone younger.
Ask God to show you a couple or
single person you can take under your wing. Have dinner with them and get
to know their dreams, fears and concerns. Use the wisdom God has given you
to strengthen and encourage them. When you help someone grow, you grow stronger,
too.
Engage in community service.
Serve together at a food pantry.
Deliver groceries to a shut-in. Visit a widow, an elderly person or a
prisoner. Help a single parent by caring for her children and/or helping
with house maintenance.
Stay connected to your extended family.
Be intentional about making
plans with family members, and approach family get-togethers with a heart
to serve and love.
Be involved with your church family.
When life gets busy, it can be
tempting to disconnect, yet cutting yourselves off from the body of Christ
will only hurt you.”
Here is a story told by an author of familylife.com, H. Norman Wright who wrote about a couple who experienced this increase of spiritual intimacy in their marriage,
“The young woman in my office was animated, though not upset. "I never dreamed what has happened in our marriage during the past year was possible," she said. "We've gone along for years just sort of ho-hum. Nothing bad, nothing spectacular—just steady. I guess we were in a rut. It was comfortable, and I guess we felt, or I did, that this was the way it would always be. But Jim came home from that men's conference and made all kinds of changes. Even though they were mostly positive, it took me awhile to adjust.
"The first thing he did was come up to me and apologize for not telling me that he prayed for me every day, and had for years. How would I have ever known? In fact, that's what I started to say, but I caught myself and thanked him for telling me. A week later he asked me how I would feel about praying together and reading from the Bible occasionally. I have to laugh now because it's like he wanted me to but wasn't sure how I would respond. So we did.
"I can't explain why or what happened, but there is this incredible sense of bonding or closeness now that we never had before. We pray, we read, we share. Sometimes I call him and pray a sentence prayer for him over the phone. He does the same. And our sex life is a whole different story. Others have seen our relationship change. And when they ask, we tell them. I guess we're finally experiencing what the Bible says about cleaving in the full sense of the word."
Spiritual bonding. Spiritual intimacy. Spiritual closeness. Desired, yet avoided. Available, yet elusive for so many.”
Just like this couple was able to
discover the great addition of spiritual intimacy in their marriage so can you
add this into your marriage. It will great bless your lives and you will feel
closer together than ever before.
Resources:
New Year Health Tips 2016
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