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| In This Issue • Marriage Tip 2: Accept God’s Purposes for Being Made with Needs • Two-Day Marriage Clinic™ • Other Upcoming Opportunities |
| Marriage Tip 2:
Accept God’s Purposes for Being Made with Needs Like it or not, God made us all with needs. Needs are not a sign of weakness. Desiring appreciation doesn’t make us insecure. Desiring support doesn’t mean we are weak. Desiring security doesn’t mean we lack faith. Desiring attention doesn’t mean we are self-centered. God created us with needs that could only be met through a relationship with Him and significant others (Gen. 2:18). Needs are necessary for knowing, depending upon, and loving God. God created us to know Him in all His greatness. Therefore He created us with needs so that we might have to depend upon Him and trust Him to supply all our “needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus” (Phi 4:19). As we experience the wonder of His love and provision we experience a deep satisfaction and a resulting love for Him that evokes praise and worship. Needs motivate us to become interdependent with each other. We cannot meet our own needs. Neither does God meet them all directly. God choses to meet many needs indirectly through His people. Therefore we cannot “say to the hand, ‘I have no need of you’” or again the head to the feet, ‘I have no need of you (1 Cor. 12:21)’” We need each other. Even Jesus expressed His need for human relationships at the time of His greatest trial: “My soul is deeply grieved, to the point of death; remain here and keep watch with Me” (Matt. 26:38). Accepting the reality of needs helps to develop compassion toward others. A self-sufficient person often lacks compassion thinking “Why should I care about your needs, I don’t think you should even have needs.” If you don’t think you have needs, then you wont think others do either. If we do not have needs then why would the Scriptures encourage us to “be kind to one another, tender-hearted” (Eph. 4:32). Seeing needs, Jesus was often “moved with compassion” (Matt. 20:34). Acknowledging our needs challenges us to both receive and give. Indeed, the deepest sense of joy is when we give to others and meet their needs: “it is more blessed to give that to receive” (Acts 20:35). Yet, it is difficult to give what we have not received. As we acknowledge our needs, and receive from others, we are then better able to experience the joy of giving to others: “freely you received, freely give” (Matt. 10:8). Jesus first received from the Father and then gave to others: “Everything that I have learned from my Father I have made known to you” (Jn. 15:15). Meeting needs expresses care, which produces oneness in the Body of Christ. If you want to decrease division, then increase care: “so that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another“ (1 Cor. 12:25). How has acknowledging your needs enhanced your relationship with God and your mate? |
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| About Karl Elkins Karl Elkins, LPC, ThM, MA, CSC, BCPCC, DAPA has 25 years of counseling experience and is an Adjunct Instructor at College of Biblical Studies teaching Marriage and Family courses. He is Founder and President of Christway Counseling Center P.C. specializing in marriage and family counseling. He earned a Master’s degree in Theology from Dallas Theological Seminary, and a Master’s degree in Counseling from Colorado Christian University. He was formerly on staff with Intimate Life Ministries and director of a Houston Minirth-Meier New Life Clinic. He is married to Terry Elkins and has two grown children. |
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| Other Upcoming Opportunities Three-Day Accelerated Marriage Counseling (AMC)™ Includes all of the topics, instruction, and counseling projects in the Two-Day Marriage Clinic™, but is completely private—you, your partner and the counselor only. Individual Counseling We offer individual counseling to couples desiring an introductory session or two, follow-up sessions, or focused counseling. Monthly Marriage Enrichment Group Ongoing accountability group helps you internalize the good practices you’ve learned, avoid returning to bad habits, and develop new marriage-building skills. Next meeting is on March 4. FREE Marriage Builder Series Don’t just tie the knot, but tighten the knot as you strengthen abilities to incorporate relevant and practical biblical principles in these couples’ group classes. Child care included. First Tuesday of every month (6:30-8:30pm). Contact Information Phone: (832) 358-0900 E-Mail: terry@christwaycounseling.com Web: www.christwaycounseling.com  |
| © 2010 Christway Counseling Center. All rights reserved. |
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