A Christ-Centered Marriage
In their third episode on healthy relationships, Matt, Katie, Stacie, and Clark look at ways to have an emotionally healthy marriage, as well as warning signs that a marriage is not healthy and how to get a marriage back on the right track.
Katie and Matt are joined once again by Stacie Johnson and Clark Stevens. The group jump right into their discussion of emotionally healthy marriages, with Clark setting up the conversation by explaining how marriage is designed to showcase God's glory and love. He references a study done by Annette Mahoney, as well as the importance of safety within a marriage and the knowledge that we can't have a healthy marriage without the strength of the Lord.
Katie emphasizes that we'll never be perfect in our marriage, so it's important to have a marriage based in humility and forgiveness for when we mess up. Clark agrees and brings up a study by Frank Fincham about forgiveness.
With that idea of forgiveness in mind, Matt asserts that we will never be the perfect husband or wife, but we can use our mistakes to highlight God's mercy and grace. Clark adds that realizing you'll never be perfect takes away a lot of negative expectations in a marriage, and sets both partners up with a need for Jesus.
Clark brings up studies done by Scott Stanley and articles by John Gottman to help listeners see unhealthy patterns or reactions in a marriage. He also mentions Fellowship Church's Marriage Innovators class.
The group transition to talking about the importance of friendship within a marriage. Clark discloses that having a friendship in marriage helps a couple stick together and preserve their marriage, just like a UCLA study found. He also reveals a technique to help with listening to the other person in a marriage.
Katie expresses how important it is in a marriage to turn towards each other and be curious about where the other person's at, both spiritually and emotionally.
Stacie takes time to offer advice to listeners who either have an emotionally unhealthy spouse, or are walking through an unhealthy marriage with a friend. The whole group is quick to point out that there's a difference between an emotionally unhealthy spouse or marriage and a marriage that isn't safe physically or mentally; they encourage anyone who is in an unsafe marriage to seek help.
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