HOW DO YOU SPELL IMPORTANT?

HOW DO YOU SPELL IMPORTANT?

What’s the most important to you? You and your mate would greatly benefit from spending some time singling out what you value the most.

     At one season in our marriage, as Barbara and I were prayerfully discussing our individual core values, we made a profound discovery. We had different priorities! One of Barbara’s top 5 values was teaching our children a good work ethic. I didn’t even list that value in my top 10! Nor did she have one of my top 5 core values, teaching our children to develop healthy relationships, down on her sheet.

     Suddenly it became clear why our weekend schedule sometimes felt like a battlefield. Barbara wanted to use our Saturdays to work on the house or in the yard, while I preferred to build memories in a boat on the lake. Neither value was wrong, they were just different.

     Each of us spends our time on the things we feel are most important. Barbara and I ultimately settled on core values for our family that included the Great Commandment, cultivating compassion for others, developing a strong work ethic, healthy relationships, and the Great Commission.

     And because most of us never get around to defining our core values, we end up living scattered and hectic lives, driven by unreal expectations or comparing ourselves with others.

     Know what’s most important to you both, and as a couple establish your own set of your five most important core values.

NOTE:  This article came from the book Family Life and Marriage Bible by Dennis and Barbara Rainey.

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