The SYMBIS Assessment PlanSample

Context: Social Support

A friend of ours told us a funny story about two guys who were fishing fanatics. On a recent Sunday morning they arose at 4:00 a.m. and drove more than a hundred miles into the mountains expecting to catch trout in their favorite secluded stream whose location had been kept secret by them for years.

After hiking two miles in from the road their enthusiasm was dampened and the expedition aborted when they saw that rains farther up stream had produced silt which muddied the waters and made fishing impractical. In their disgust one said to the other, “You might as well have stayed home and gone to church,” to which his companion retorted with a straight face, “Oh, I can’t go to church anyhow; my wife is sick.”

The church where we worship is a place of support and spiritual refueling. Singing hymns, learning from Scripture, worshipping God, and meeting with friends who share our spiritual quest is comforting and inspiring. Worshipping together buoys our relationship and makes the week ahead more meaningful.

How we choose to incorporate the church into our marriage is critically important to our relationship. Paul recognized the idea of the church as being God’s family when he said we are “members of God’s household” (Eph. 2:19). When Jesus taught his disciples to pray he did not say “my Father”; he said, “our Father.” We cannot live the Christian life in isolation. Even a loving couple needs a community of worship.

As you begin your married life together how do you see the church as a part of it? Be as specific as you can about how you each imagine your involvement in church together as well as individually. How do these Bible passages relate to what you plan to do?

For a weekly dose of encouragement for your marriage, check out Les & Leslie’s blog, Devotion, at LesandLeslie.com