Communication I - Understanding Episode 1

Communication I – Understanding Episode 1

Session 4 | Episode 1

Seek to Understand

“You don’t understand me!”

Have you ever said these words, or heard someone else say it? Today we’ll begin looking at an important ingredient of a fulfilling marriage – UNDERSTANDING.

Good communication in marriage requires that a couple seeks to understand and to be understood.

The couple who seeks to understand each other will value at last 3 important T’s :

TIME which is a rare commodity these days. To reach a point of understanding one another, we need to set aside time to communicate with each other in such a way that understanding can take place. Plan a special time each week, which is non-negotiable, during which you can share your feelings and not just facts.
The second T stands for TRUST. Without trust, we will not get to the point of understanding one another. John Powell wrote a little book called “Why Am I Afraid to Tell You Who I Am?” He answers that question in the book – “I am afraid to tell you who I am, because you might not like who I am and that is all I’ve got.” We need commitment to be able to trust.
The third T is TRANSPARENCY. It means sharing complete emotional and personal truthfulness and this leads to intimacy in marriage. For transparency to become a reality the first two T’s – TIME and TRUST – should be in place.

Transparency with one another doesn’t come naturally – next week we’ll talk some more on this subject.

Presented by

Isolde Swanepoel

Isolde studied Speech Pathology and Audiology at the University of Pretoria and taught at the same department until she and Quintus joined the staff of Campus Crusade for Christ in 1980.

They are so aware of God’s goodness and grace as they celebrated their 50th Anniversary in 2019. They are the parents of three children and three children-in-love! And Grandparents to 9.

Since 1996 Quintus and Isolde have been involved with FamilyLife, the marriage and family strategy of Campus Crusade for Christ.

Isolde Swanepoel

Isolde studied Speech Pathology and Audiology at the University of Pretoria and taught at the same department until she and Quintus joined the staff of Campus Crusade for Christ in 1980.

They are so aware of God’s goodness and grace as they celebrated their 50th Anniversary in 2019. They are the parents of three children and three children-in-love! And Grandparents to 9.

Since 1996 Quintus and Isolde have been involved with FamilyLife, the marriage and family strategy of Campus Crusade for Christ.