#167: Fighting for Marriage (Feat. Anne Evans)
What do I do if my spouse and I are not on the same page?
Unity within marriage is vital. God's idea of marriage is centered on unity. Is your marriage unified? What creates unity and what destroys it?
Anne Evans joins Suz to talk about unity within marriage. This week we are FIGHTING for marriage!
Anne and Tim Evans have 6 books about marriage. Their books are centered on sexuality, sexual intimacy, forgiveness, how to dream as a married couple, and so many more topics! No matter what season your marriage is in, these books will take your marriage to the next level!
Check out their books here!
How to build unity within marriage
"It took me seven years to be comfortable within marriage. I was conflict avoidant and didn't want to create anything bad in my marriage. Living in unity is all about living in unity with the Lord. Unity with our spouse is great but unity with God is our foundation we live on." - Anne
Here are a few main points of how to have unity in your marriage:
- Learn how to include God in your decisions
- Include others (community) in your life
- Pursue the heart of God and be unified with Him
Building Unity
Teachability and availability are the two main ways unity is built. Marriages can be marked by differences which can create tension. A big distinction Anne makes is differencing absolutes from preferences. Often times we get bogged down with preferences and it causes fights.
- Learn how to talk to each other
- Learn how to manage our emotions
- Find the best times to have hard conversations
The topic is unity but we are called to examine ourselves and develop our inner core. We can set ourselves (and our spouse) up for success when we do the hard work within ourselves. Then even if our spouse doesn't do exactly what we want, we are still able to grow with God.
We want to end with an encouragement. Your identity is first and forever found in Christ. Your marriage is marked by the love of God and His love covers a multitude of sins. As we fight for unity within our marriage, we encourage you to think about how God wants to strengthen you with unity so your marriage can be unified. It starts with you and God and overflows into your relationships.
