Back to the basics in our relationships: Knowledge

It is easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of life, letting some of the basics of relationships get pushed to the back-burner. I challenge you, then, to take the time to take these steps and get back to the basics: knowledge.

Read the Bible together.

Reading the Bible is a sure-fire way to gain knowledge about the goodness, faithfulness, and love of God. It helps us move forward in our lives with understanding and purpose. However, reading the Bible together with your significant other is important as well. It helps build the foundation for your relationship on Godly principals and strengthen your love and commitment to each other.

God has much to say about how we do relationship with one another – in our platonic relationships, as well as our romantic ones. If you want to have a strong, healthy relationship that honors and glorifies God, you have to increase your knowledge on how to do that by diving into the Word together. I say “together” because you want to make sure you are both on the same page, willing to commit to what it takes to establish a faith-filled foundation. (1 Corinthians 13:4-7 is a great place to start. This common passage turns life-changing when you begin to see how your relationship and interactions with each other compare to these adjectives of love).

I also suggest reading books about relationships, marriage, family, etc. written by Christian authors who root their advice and knowledge in the truth that comes from the Bible. There are wise people who have explored these topics and written books to help couples strengthen their relationship and fortify their foundation. (Love and Respect by Dr. Emerson Eggerichs is a great place to start).

Learn each other’s story. 

Just as we increase our knowledge of God by reading the history he left us, we can increase our understanding of our significant other when we take time to listen to their story.

This isn’t just important for new couples, either. Often times, when we’ve been in a relationship with the same person for a long time, we feel like we understand them – we’ve already gone through the “get to know you” stage, and at this point, we know everything about them. I’m here to tell you, that is not the case. There is always more to know, especially as you go through life together. Every new decision you make together, challenge you face together, and move you make together opens space for you to increase your knowledge about that person’s history and experiences and how that shapes their present decisions, reactions, and responses.

It takes vulnerability to share your story, and it takes grace and understanding for the other person to hear it – especially if it’s not all rainbows and butterflies, which I’m pretty sure nobody’s is. However, establishing trust with each other and being willing to dig a little deeper will strengthen your understanding of each other, which will strengthen your relationship.

When we learn about the journey our significant other has been on, the challenges they’ve faced, and their weaknesses and strengths, we are able to love and support them better.

It may be uncomfortable and scary at first, but gaining knowledge about who the person is will be extremely beneficial for your connection and relationship.

It’s time we get back to the basics with our relationship – establishing and strengthening the foundation of our relationship on the principals and truth found in scripture, as well increasing our knowledge of each other in order to be the best partners we can be for one another.