Missionary Families of Christ
Creating Spiritual Intimacy
July 2020 Young Couples Date Night Topic
Grab
When was the last time you talked about your relationship with God to your spouse?
Grace
Read: Galatians 6:2
“Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ.”
Most of the couples I meet wish that they could share more freely with each other about their spiritual journey. We often speak of emotional intimacy or sexual intimacy, but we seldom talk about spiritual intimacy. Yet, this affects all other areas of our relationship.
Just as emotional intimacy comes from sharing our feelings, spiritual intimacy comes from sharing our walk with God. We do not have to be spiritual giants to have spiritual intimacy as a couple, but we must be willing to share with each other where we are spiritually.
The husband who says, “I am not feeling very close to God today.” may not stimulate great joy in his wife’s heart, but he does open the possibility for her to enter his spiritual experience. If she responds with, “tell me about it,” she encourages spiritual intimacy. If, however, she says, “Well if you don’t feel close to God, guess who moved?” She stopped the flow, and he walks away feeling condemned.
The apostle Paul challenge us to share each other’s burdens, and those often include feelings of spiritual dryness or difficulty. Spiritual intimacy within a marriage requires a willingness to listen without preaching. (excerpt from “The One Year Love Language Minute Devotional” by Gary Chapman)
Gather
For discussion, answer the following question/s:
- What hinders you from sharing your spiritual walk with God to your spouse? How can your spouse encourage you to share more about it to him / her?
- What hinders you from listening to your spouse’s spiritual journey? What can you do to show that you are actively listening to him / her?
Go Forth
Spend a day to share where you are spiritually to your spouse. Actively listen to each other and encourage each other to move forward with your relationship with God.