Having boundaries in your marriage will lead to a healthy relationship because you'll learn how to love selflessly and sacrificially.
Talking Points:
- There are four main areas in your marriage where boundaries are needed:
- How you feel- You are responsible for your emotions and you have to be brave enough to articulate them to your spouse.
- What you expect– Your spouse can’t read your mind so you have to share your expectations and be ready to compromise.
- The work you do- You can’t do everything for everyone so be honest with your spouse about your limitations.
- Your time together- You don’t have to spend all your time together. It’s okay to ask for some free time.
Discussion:
- Initial reactions to this topic? What jumped out at you?
- Share about a couple whose marriage you admire and respect. What do you notice that’s different about their relationship from most marriages? How do you feel your marriage compares?
- Why is sacrifice an important element to a healthy marriage? Share a time selfishness caused problems in your marriage.
- How aware are you of your own emotions? Why is it important for you to be able to express yourself to your spouse?
- Share a time your spouse missed meeting one of your expectations. How did that make you feel? Did you articulate what you wanted or were you hoping they would figure it out?
- Do you feel like your spouse has some unrealistic expectations of you? Explain. What might you need to be honest about in order to avoid unnecessary conflict?
- Do you and your spouse have individual interests? Explain. How can you free your spouse to pursue those interests more? How can your spouse give you the gift of free time?
- Is there a step you need to take based on today’s topic?
