True #RelationshipGoals
One of the biggest trends on social media lately is #relationshipgoals. From walking on the beach to a blanket fort with Disney movies, these "goals" are usually pictures of couples doing cute or romantic things, deeming it a "relationship goal." But, are these really the goals we should strive for as Christians?
Although these kinds of positive things are great things to want in a relationship, as Christians, we should instead build Godly, Christ-like relationships. To do so, Jesus must be the main focus of the relationship. 2 Corinthians 6:14 says, "Do not be yoked together with unbelievers." Don't compromise your faith for a relationship. Instead, strive with a fellow believer to love and serve Christ together.
Another important factor to keep in mind is to always love each other with the love of Christ. I know that sounds really cliche, but it really is true. 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 is called the "love chapter." Personally, this passage has taught me so much on how to love like Christ loves -- to be patient, kind, and forgiving. What would we be if God did not show us all of these characteristics in His unending love? We would certainly not be where we are today. We would not be able to go spend eternity with Christ. Now, we should be more than willing to treat our relationships with the same kind of care and love.
Here are some tips to make your relationship more Christ-like:
1. Prayer: Praying with the one you love can significantly improve and strengthen your relationship. I have practiced this myself and I love it. Being able to talk about Christ is very important. After all, the whole purpose of marriage is to have a family and raise them up in a Godly home to serve and honor HIm. If you can encourage each other in Christ, then you will be able to lift each other up in so many other ways. Prayer is such a vulnerable time between you and God. You can display all of your worries and concerns to Him and be completely open and honest with Him. When you add another person into and create a unified prayer, it becomes so much more powerful.
2. Morning Devotions: By having daily devotions together, you are able to study and discuss God's Word together. You can be completely open and honest about your relationship with God and the struggles that you face. Last year, I read through the Bible in a year with my boyfriend. We got so much out of it and loved being able to draw closer to Him together. I had tried to do this before and I never finished it because I had never had anyone to hold me accountable. This year, we are reading through Jesus Calling. Also, each morning, we send each other our thoughts on the daily reading or devotion. This is helpful because we can share our struggles with each other so that we can better encourage each other to do better. It also helps us draw closer to God and strengthens our relationship with each other.
3. Church Outing: It is very important to become involved in church together. By attending youth events or church services together, you will be able to learn if you have the same views and priorities. In addition, you need to know that taking your family to church and becoming involved in church is just as important to your significant other as it is to you.
4. Bible Studies: You have to remember that the ways in which the world views relationships is not the way that Christians should view them. The world will tell you that so many things are acceptable, when, in reality, the Bible clearly says that they are not. I never really thought that much about how important it is until I began to develop a more serious romantic relationship. Once we began to pray and study God's Word together, we became much closer and more focused on God instead of our human desires.