Does your marriage stress you out?
If not, there’s still a good chance that you’re bringing stress into your marriage.
Either way, how do you handle it?
The natural inclination for many couples is to seek stress relief in non-relational ways that enable them to hide from each other – things like drugs and alcohol, or even behaviors like shopping, gambling, excessive cleaning, or binge-watching television – all of which lead to addiction, unhealthy obsessions, or lashing out at other people.
We retreat.
We shut down.
We become silent and non-communicative.
Jesus modelled how to seek stress relief through relationship. In the garden of Gethsemane, Jesus knew He was going to be falsely condemned, savagely beaten, and hung on a cross to die. Luke 22:44 says, “Being in agony He prayed more earnestly; and His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.”
Matthew 26:37 says Jesus was “sorrowful and troubled.” What did He do? He talked to His disciples about it. In verse 38, Jesus tells Peter, James, and John, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.”
Jesus didn’t act out his stress in anger on His disciples. Neither did He stuff His emotions and hope that His disciples guessed how he was feeling. He revealed what was going on inside of him and asked for support.
Your spouse can’t know what’s going on in your soul unless you tell him or her. When you do, you’ll ease your stress, and you’ll deepen your intimacy with your spouse.
On our Focus on the Family Broadcast “Growing Your Marriage in Times of Stress,” we’re joined by Milan and Kay Yerkovich, counselors, authors, and speakers, who are with us to help your marriage become a place of comfort and renewal in times of stress.
They’ll teach you how to emotionally connect with your spouse and to better understand how your family of origin impacts the relationships you have today as an adult.
Join us on your local radio station, online, on Apple Podcasts, via Google Podcasts, or take us with you on our free phone app for a healing conversation about your marriage.
In my opinion, this is some of the best content that any couple can get their hands on. Check out their book, How We Love. I’d like to offer you a copy of the book and a CD of the program for a gift of any amount. Give us a call at 1-800-A-FAMILY (232-6459) or check our website for details. If you can’t afford it, we’ll find a way to get it to you.
Milan and Kay Yerkovich have a passion for helping husbands and wives experience stronger, healthier marriages. Milan is an ordained minister and pastoral counselor. And Kay is a licensed marriage and family therapist.
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