The Intentional Marriage
I am reading an amazing book titled, “The Intentional Family” by Bill Doherty. In it he speaks of the idea that most American families struggle to be intentional about their relationships and the potential danger of living a life without intention. It really has made me think about how intentional I am in my life, my life path, and in my family. Here are just a few highlights that really make me think.
Did you know that about 75% of American families no longer eat dinner together on a regular basis. Of the 25% who say they do have dinner together on a regular basis, half report that they eat dinner with the T.V. on. This means, that only about 12 to 13% of American families have dinner where eating and being together are the primary focus.
Did you know that the American family is bombarded with activities outside of the home and technology inside the home. Once again, we are just too busy for our own good and many of us are not intentional about the time we spend together.
One last one, did you know that most time when couples are most intentional about spending quality time together is during their dating years. Something switches when most couples get married and they stop being intentional about creating time and space to “really” be together.
All of this has made me really look at my life and see how intentional or unintentional I am in all aspects. We all have the same amount of time in a day, so it is about how we choose to spend it. We can be physically present, yet emotional absent or emotionally distant. We, including me, all need to be more intentional about making our relationships the priority in our lives. We may not be able to spend every minute with them, yet when have a minute do we give it? Are we intentional in creating moments of bonding, of connecting, of understanding, of listening, of touching, and playing together. The intentional family does all or some of this. The intentional marriage uses the small moments of time to maximize their closeness and works to create the safety and security we all need. I ask you to take a minute and think about your intentions? Are you purposeful in going in the direction you want to go?
