In life, you need to learn three stories: your story, her story, and God’s story.

A lot of your strengths come from your story; and a lot of weaknesses come from your story. Exploring your story is the single healthiest emotional thing you can do. But avoiding your story nearly guarantees you will live an emotionally stunted life.

If you don’t go back and review your growing-up story, some of your interactions will not make sense. But if you do know your childhood story, then your fears and strong emotional reactions will tend to make sense. And fears drive all our intense emotional behaviors.

The Key to Your Wife’s Story

If you don’t learn yourself, you cannot learn your wife. If you don’t learn your story, you cannot learn her story. If you aren’t comfortable with your story, you won’t be comfortable with her story. If you don’t explore your story, you’ll only be able to live a shallow life; you’ll only be able to create an emotionally shallow marriage.

Prayer

Father, you have a story, and I have a story. Growing up, life was hard. There is pain in my old story. I’d rather not go back there. But, if you go back with me, I will go. Father, teach me about myself and about you. I want my life to be patterned after yours. Thank you for Jesus. Amen.

Bible Reading

The Bible is God’s story.

In the beginning… Genesis 1:1

It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. Revelation 21:6