Relationship Goals 2022
Photo by Tara Bazille on Unsplash
Relationship Goals 2022
Have you made your new year’s resolutions/goals for 2022 yet? Whether or not you have I want to encourage you to consider adding very specific goals regarding the most meaningful relationships in your life, especially the marriage relationship. Many of us start our new year with resolutions or goals like exercise three times a week, read one book a month, completing the Bible in a year, etc. This year I want to encourage you to keep those “good for you goals”, but I also want to encourage you to focus on the relationships that mean the most to you with great intention. I look around and I see very disconnected people. We are so busy and so distracted that the ones that mean the most to us end up getting the least of us. What if we enter this year intentionally focusing on our relationships? Below are a few ideas to get you started.
· Set aside time each day to spend with your family (spouse & children) device-free. Play board games, ride bikes, read books, go for a walk-get creative. Time is so precious, and we get none of it back. Make the most of the day the Lord has given you.
· Husbands & wives, spend quality time together each day without distractions. There is a great 15-minute connection formula created by Dr. Clifford and Joyce Penner. 15 minutes each day
o Connect emotionally: look into one another’s eyes; share a positive thought feeling and/or affirmation of the other.
o Connect spiritually: share an inspirational reading, devotional, or prayer
o Connect physically: hug for 20 seconds; kiss passionately for 5-30 seconds without it leading to sex.
o Husbands & wives commit to loving one another well, in a way the other can receive it (the way they want to be loved). You may think you’re already doing this but by talking to your spouse you may find they think gifts are nice but aren’t necessarily what they desire from you. Check in with each other and ask how you can love one another well (gifts, physical touch, quality time, words of affirmation, or acts of service).
o Go on dates as often as possible. Many couples don’t schedule date nights and then find there is no extra time to do so. Sit down with your schedules and see where you can make time. Get the babysitter and go out just the two of you and have fun. So many couples complain that they don’t have fun with each other anymore. This will only happen with intention.
o Be intentional about intimacy. This may look different for each of you. Have a conversation about what intimacy means to you, what makes you feel most connected. Then do that for one another.
If you are reading this and thinking we need more than this to help us connect, I encourage you to reach out to a counselor or your pastor for assistance. Don’t let another year go by; now is the time to improve your marriage and the other realtionships in your life.
Happy New Year Y’all!!! May this year be filled with great joy and loving relationships.
