Making the Most of Your Marriage; a 7-Day Healing Journeyਨਮੂਨਾ

Topic: Don't neglect your intimacy

"Above all, love each other deeply..." — 1 Peter 4:8a

When people talk about intimacy in marriage, the narrative often supports only sexual intimacy, but sexual intimacy is only one aspect of several expressions of intimacy in marriage.

Intimacy in your marriage is divided into two: Sexual and non-sexual intimacy, and both sides of the coin must neither be neglected nor one deemed more important than the other.

For your marriage to thrive, sexual and non-sexual intimacy must be given the same level of attention, intentionality, and investment, and where non-sexual intimacy is practiced often, sexual intimacy becomes more fulfilling and the overall health of your marriage continues to improve.

The deficiency of one form of intimacy in your marriage has the capacity to impede and frustrate the progress of the other. This is why intimacy is usually the first thing out the door once couples start to deal with difficult circumstances like unexpected actions or disappointments.

It will interest you to know that praying together is one form of non-sexual intimacy, so also is holding hands, taking walks, having conversations around day-to-day experiences, setting goals together, being childishly playful, going on dates, sleeping beside each other, and generally being a safe space for your spouse.

To grow non-sexual intimacy, you have to know each other outside the bedroom, and to grow sexual intimacy, you must know each other inside the bedroom.

Knowing your spouse is not just knowing what they want generally, but that you are intentionally committed to evolving with them as seasons of life change, both sexually and non-sexually.

Suppose your marriage feels heavy or confined right now, you can commence your healing journey through the non-sexual intimacy route, so that fundamentals such as trust, laughter, prayer, shared dreams, and simple acts of kindness can be restored. Then you can proceed to enjoying sexual intimacy.

Prayer: Lord, thank You for the gift of intimacy in marriage. Teach us to cherish not only the physical bond but also the emotional and spiritual closeness that makes our love strong. Help us to be intentional in nurturing every part of our relationship, so that our marriage reflects your design in Jesus’ name. Amen.