Is it important to build and maintain friendships with other couples? Yes! Having friendships with other couples is very important. We tell people three things at the end of pre-marriage counseling:
(1) Guard your heart.
(2) Always exercise forgiveness.
(3) Connect to other couples with whom you can go through life.
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In our parents’ time, those couples may have been the same couples all the way through their lives because people didn’t move around as much. You may move every few years, so it will take a bit of extra work to connect with other couples in each new location. You can do it, however, by connecting to a church and its small groups, or though friendships in your neighborhood, or with the parents of your children’s friends. These need to be like-minded couples—believers who can be there for you in the tough times and understand the focus of your life in Jesus. The only caveat is that you must guard your heart in those close relationships.
We once read a story about a man who had an accident by falling off a ladder. He lost his ability to walk, but was hoping to walk again. Yet over a period of three months after the accident, not a day went by that other people didn’t show up to comfort, encourage, give a ride, or do some kind of chore that needed to be done. Those kinds of friendships are priceless. That is the body of Christ, and we are called to coach, encourage and equip one another.
*For more practical marriage advice, check out The Great Marriage Q&A Book. It's available in our online bookstore!