Relationship Issues

Married life, like most things in life, has its difficulties. Every marriage goes through seasons of sunny, clear skies, but there are also times when dark clouds cover the horizon, sometimes for years. Relationships are complex things, and marriage is one of the more complicated ones, and that’s because it’s one of the closest human relationships we can have. You’re spending your life with someone, sharing everything that you have and are with them – the good, the bad, and the ugly. It takes commitment, wisdom, and grace to navigate the many pitfalls that can beset a marriage. Thankfully, we aren’t left to our own devices because the Bible gives us direct advice about how to conduct our relationships in ways that produce meaningful, long-lasting connections with other people. Biblical Advice about Married Life Because marriage was God’s idea, it makes sense to look to what he says about it so that we can do what works for the sake of our marriages. This article will look at what the Bible says about marriage and married life (and relationships in general) so that we can glean wisdom for our lives. Love, honor, and respect. One of the key building blocks of a happy married life is that the two people in the marriage love, honor, and respect one another. In fact, without these three, it’s hard going for any marriage. In several places in the Bible, husbands and wives are reminded to love and respect one another. It’s no mistake that many wedding vows use those very words. When you live with someone for a long time, you get to see them when they are at their best, and when they’re at their worst. The sense of mystery about them can fade, and it’s easy to lose respect for them [...]

Can you relate to these relationship issues? Megan is driving home from work tired from a long day. She pulls into the driveway and walks through the door. Her husband Jason is sitting on the couch watching TV. There’s no dinner in the kitchen. “What’s the plan for dinner?” she asks, putting her purse on the entry table. “I don’t know. What were you thinking?” he answers, without looking over. “I thought we agreed you’d take care of dinner since you are working from home.” “I know, but you are so much better at cooking. I figured I’d wait and let you take care of it.” “You always make me take care of stuff like this, even though you have the extra time to do it since you are working from home. We already talked about this.” “Look it’s not that big of a deal, I’ll just order something in.” “I thought we agreed we were going to cook at home to save money. That’s why we decided you should take care of dinner while I finish work,” Megan snapped. “Well, it’s too late now,” he retorted. They ate take out Chinese food in silence that night. Working through Relationship Issues Any meaningful relationship is going to have issues. Many of you may relate to the tension in Megan and Jason’s story. That’s because theirs isn’t all that uncommon. In this brief anecdote alone, there are some serious points of conflict, including finances, communication, work-life balance, and even gender roles. A silent dinner over takeout Chinese is not the desired end of this relational encounter. Unfortunately, many people find themselves in situations just like this. They are unhappy but don’t know what has gone wrong. This is true for Christians as well. Even though they want to love their [...]

It is no surprise that finances in marriage are one of the most, if not the most fought about issue in marriage. Finances can be stressful, overwhelming, frustrating, and sometimes halt growth within your marriage. As such, it is important to take time to prioritize your financial discussions rather than avoid them. “Money is either the best or the worst area of communication in our marriages.” – Larry Burkett Consider these scenarios regarding finances in marriage: Nina and Tom have been married for one year. They came into their marriage head-over-heels in love but had not taken the time to sit down and make a budget and plan financially. This has since driven a wedge between them and halted their communication because they both came into their marriage with debt and different opinions of financial priorities. Susan and Tim have been married for five years and usually live paycheck to paycheck. They are thankful that their bills are always paid, even if their bank account is drained before the next payday. Susan and Tim recently found out that they are expecting, and Susan wants to be a stay-at-home mom, but she is not sure how they are going to compensate for losing her paycheck. This has since driven a wedge between them as they are unsure of how to proceed and move forward in the decision-making process. Betty and Caleb have been married for three years and are going through an exceedingly difficult time in their marriage because they have still not merged their bank accounts. They have split the bills between the two of them and feel that they are both very personal people and do not want to share their banking information with the other person. This often causes tension when there is a discussion about new bills [...]