Church & Marriage: 3 Reasons its Helped Mine

If the Church is the Bride of Christ, then it should be good for our marriage. I want to give you three reasons the Church has been good for my marriage:

1. My wife and I have weekly quality time together. This is especially important since we have kids. We get an hour and a half to enjoy each other's company, sometimes we even snuggle and kiss! This is also a time where we get to connect on a level much different than any other time or place during the week. Our sense of oneness is increased as we both pursue God--there is a dramatic weaving together that happens with God who created us, our marriage, and the Church as his Bride. 

2. My wife and I have community around us. The best relationships my wife and I have ever had have come from our church-going life. There are people who know how to love well: they know how to treat you with respect and honor, they are there for you in hard times, they are people you can count on when you need them, they are people who know how to have a good time without a hangover the next day, they are people who know how to belong. This is not only good for us, but also for them, as we get to serve them in return. It is not just that we get something out of the deal, it is also that we have a place, and a people, to pour our lives back into. We are strengthened by these people, and also get to strengthen them.

3. My kids get to hang out with other kids. Church is not a social event for us, but it is social; it's family. One thing I have always enjoyed about church is how family was always a strong value, and now I get to bring my children into a culture that values family. One benefit of this is how my children get to play with other kids. Another is that my wife and I have a large "village" of people (not the village people, although sometimes it may seem that way) to pour life into our children. There are so many people who love our kids that it's ridiculous. For awhile we couldn't go to church without someone giving our kids something. 

So, how has church been good for your family? Plant yourself in a church that values family and watch how it impacts your life in ways you never dreamed! Church has been the best thing my family has done together, and that can be true for you too!