We’ve all heard the saying “actions speak louder than words.”. There are few places that is more apparent than in our intimate relationships. We may be able to talk a good game to acquaintances or on social media, but our closest loved ones are the ones who know whether we live those words out! This is why it’s so important in romantic relationships to not only be saying loving words to our partner but for our actions to back it up. Let’s look at a few practical ways this can happen!
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By: Hollie Kowalski
Encompass Outreach Coordinator “We’re just in a rut, I guess.” We can’t seem to find joy in each other’s presence. We feel tired and frustrated with one another. Hearing this explanation from a friend referring to her marriage made me think back to a time when my husband and I were in a similar place, a “joy gap” in our marriage. Then I started to wonder, how did we get there? How did we get out? How do we keep from getting there again? By: Abby Glaser
Encompass Community Advocate When our Outreach Coordinator told me this month’s topic is devotion and faithfulness…my first thought was that I didn’t have anything to say on that topic! Which is ironic since I have been with my husband for 25 years now. I suppose I do know a thing or two! While the definition of devotion includes love and loyalty, which is what most think of when they hear that word, it also includes “enthusiasm!" That definitely got my brain thinking… when was the last time I expressed enthusiasm for my partner? By: Hollie Kowalski
Encompass Outreach Coordinator We spend 70-80% of our day engaged in some form of communication. 55% of that time is generally devoted to listening. The average person who has not worked to develop good listening skills will only remember about half of any recent conversation. 48 hours after the conversation, they are likely to only remember 25% or less… and then there’s me. My “working mom brain” has so many “open tabs” at any given time, I consider it a win if I remember my own children’s names on a daily basis. Because of the “coordinated chaos” in my head sometimes, I tend to “drift” when conversing with my husband-especially in the evening after a long day. We don’t have much time together during the week and I always want him to feel that he is important, that I value his thoughts and emotions. So… By Jenny Hamilton Maintaining a lifestyle of eating healthy food and exercising regularly we all know is good for us. However, it probably ranks #1 as the most common daily battle we regularly wage with the “easy to say, hard to do” things in life. We make excuses constantly for why we didn’t stick with our workout plans or diets. We do the same when tending to our relationships. Healthy relationships are like gold! They are what keep us going--mentally, emotionally and even physically. Yet often, to our own detriment, we believe things that are not true -- and we make excuses. Have you ever told yourself this?
By Lavern Nissley Dave Wilson and I were chatting briefly after a men's breakfast. He was telling me about how he doesn't know what to tell other men when they ask him the secrets of being married 40+ years. But he knows what husbands should NOT do! I asked him, "So, what are your top three things NOT to do? He very quickly listed them By the way, Dave and Cindi have been married 46 years. By Lavern Nissley
A six year study with newlyweds showed that those who remained together did this tip 86% of the time; those who divorced only did it 33% of the time. Want to know what it was? |
HostsDr. David Marine and Theresa Mabry are Co-Directors of Encompass since June 1, 2024. TOPICS
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