Four Communication Tools (that are often overlooked by couples)
23 01 2013
There are four tools of communication within the lives of couples that often go overlooked.
1. A calendar: Our families are busy. They are running from place to place and often communicating on the run. There is great value in stopping (at least once a week) to sit down as a couple and go over the calendar. Use the calendar to help you prioritize your tasks and pace yourselves. Strive to be on the same page with your partner going the same direction for the same reasons.
2. A budget: Your budget is an indicator of your values. It is also a guide to properly administrating your values. As a couple, sit down and map out your financial values and determine a budget. Then strive to continually update each other through communication on how you are doing in the administration of those values. I have personally found that scheduling a weekly conversation with my wife to discuss the calendar and the budget can be a big help in keeping us on the same page.
3. The kitchen table: Some people use their kitchen table as nothing more than extra storage. Meals are eaten in front of the television in the living room. Clean off your table, prepare (or purchase) a meal and sit down together to eat and talk! If you have a family with children use the kitchen table as a time to talk, listen, and teach.
4. Sermons and Devotions: My wife and me have never been good at reading to each other. However, we have greatly enjoyed discussing together the things we have learned from sermons and our own devotions. After you leave church use the sermon you just heard as a tool to communicate with each other what you learned. Periodically ask your partner what they are learning from their devotions. There is a sweetness to the conversation that is centered on the truths of God being shared with each other.
