The front door opens and a friendly face greets us. We enter Jon and Terri’s living room. Smiles. Hugs. “We’re so glad to see you.”
Welcome to our monthly marriage discussion group. (Yeah. We know we need a better name. We haven’t come up with one yet.) Our friends, Jon and Terri host and lead the group on a Saturday night each month. There are four or five couples on any given night.
It looks like everyone has arrived a little early so they can grab a snack and catch up. The snacks look good. Terri made some cupcakes for later. Others brought veggies, chips, dip.
These couples have children that span baby to junior high age. The kids have made friends with each other too so they settle down with the games and approved videos in another room. The older kids keep an eye on the babies.
The adults make their way into the living room and pick a couch or folding chair to sit on. Tonight’s discussion topic is prayer between spouses. Is this something you think is important? How important on a scale of 1 to 10? What priority do you give it on a scale of 1 to 10. Why the discrepancy? What hinders it? What happens when you pray together?
Other months we’ve discussed ways of resolving conflict or how the love languages apply in our own marriage. The topics follow requests from the group. The purpose is to explore ways to make our marriage better within the support of a loving, like-minded group of friends.
It’s not a heavy teaching time. Just Jon and Terri nudging the conversation along to the next level and pretty honest sharing from those present.
Tonight, most people say they think prayer should be regular and frequent in their marriage—but it’s not. “What gets in the way?” Conflicting schedules, kids with needs, sleeping in. Dave and April are the exception. They’ve made praying together a habit and they stand against anything that threatens to get in the way. Their sharing is inspiring. It encourages us to renew our efforts—to be more faithful.
What? It’s eight o’clock! The time went fast. We gather near the kitchen for a couple of choruses of “Happy Birthday” and the cupcakes that have been set aside. The group lingers, and we talk some more until the children make known that they need to go to bed.
We are so glad you could join us. Perhaps you’ll come again. Or maybe you’d like to start a marriage discussion group in your own area. The costs are minimal and the blessings are rich. Contact us at info@themarriagedance.com if we can be of help in guiding you through.
