Susie talks with Focus on the Family’s Greg Smalley about having a wholehearted marriage.
Greg explains to Susie that for a long time he didn’t recognize the importance of the heart in relationships. He thought and rationalized his way through life. This worked for a while, but there came a point in his life where he was depressed and he couldn’t think his way out of it.
God spoke to Greg and showed him that he needed to stop relying on his head to guide him through life.
“That’s really God’s desire, that we live whole-heartedly, that we serve him whole-heartedly.”
This came up in Greg’s marriage too. He and his wife realized that they needed to have their hearts open to each other for them to grow and get past conflict.
Another key to a whole-hearted marriage, according to Greg, is always desiring to learn more about the other individual. He cautions married couples never to fall into the trap of thinking they know everything there is to know about their spouse.
For couples who feel like they are in a rut, Greg advises adding curiosity into their marriage.
What a spouse needs at a certain time can change and it’s important that both individuals recognize this and take time to continually get to know each other.
If couples want ideas about things to ask each other, Greg says they can even look for lists of questions on the internet to ask each other. He suggests some examples:
- What are things you hope to accomplish in this life?
- What are some of your greatest fears right now?
- What is one thing I could do that would help you to feel loved today?
He explains that curiosity communicates that the other individual is valuable.
Greg also shares how he met his wife and more in the rest of his interview with Susie.
Key Scriptures: Proverbs 4:23
