RE: Relationship Essentials | Part 2
Big Idea:
There are essentials in marriages that we can learn from to redirect all of our relationships towards God.
Getting Started:
Not everyone who is in this room may be married right now. You may be single and thinking of dating, or in a relationship or you’ve been married and have experienced divorce. Don’t think that because marriage was the central element that you are eliminated from this discussion.
If you aren’t married consider how you could grow and prepare for that kind of relationship through some of these questions.
· Is there a couple you know and look up to as a strong, healthy marriage that is headed in the right direction?
· What allows relationships (romantic ones in particular) to head in the right direction?
Digging In
Many of us need to redirect our relationships because we’ve been given the wrong directions by those who have been our examples.
· What is an example of the relationships in your life that have directed you poorly?
· How could there be hope to redirect your relationships from the bad examples you’ve been given?
The pastor on Sunday said, “we must not believe the lie that all relationships are destined to fail, and that we can begin today to head in a new/better direction.”
· What creates this idea that all relationships are destined to fail?
· What is a “new/better direction” that would help save a failing relationship?
Read
The worst thing for your marriage is not even knowing you’re headed in the wrong direction.
· How can we stop and honestly evaluate whether or not our marriage is headed down the right path?
· What are some of the distractions in life you face that can create a bump in your marriage?
o (our routines, focusing on our own journey, our job, flirting with other people, our hobbies, friends)
A wrong direction we’ve bought into is the idea that our spouse or the spouse we’re looking for needs to be our other half. Have you ever said that? Don’t feel guilty is you have. The truth is though, that puts a lot of pressure on your spouse. Now they’re the one that has to complete you. On the flip side, you have to be the other perfect half for them. If anything is wrong with you, now you no longer complete them. It was never meant to be that way.
· If our spouse shouldn’t be our other half, how should we see our spouse?
Craig Groeschel, lead pastor of Life.Church, says marriage should be chasing the 1 with our 2. That life is all about chasing God with our whole hearts and then looking to our side and seeing the person we’ve chosen to do that with.
· How can we re-direct our marriages to chase the 1 (God) with our 2 (spouse).
· If you’re single or dating right now, how should this mindset effect the way you live and view relationships?
Next Step
Married Groups: Now is a great time to take a moment as husbands and wives to evaluate your marriage together. The goal is not to create arguments, but to create a space where you can discuss with one another the state of your marriage and what you believe God wants to do through it.
Single Groups: Because you don’t have someone next to you right now doesn’t mean you never will. The goal of a season of singleness is to intentionally pursue God with your whole hearts and occasionally look around and see if there is someone doing that alongside you. That may lead to someone saying “Hey do you want to pursue God together?” For now, let that end destination leave your mind and think about the journey you would need to take to get there.