How Well Do You Know Your Spouse?

My husband and I have had the opportunity to go on several cruises over the years, and one of the typical activities for entertainment during the week is a live version of “The Newlywed Game.” The cruise director finds three couples in the audience to be the contestants: a couple who’s been married the shortest time, a couple who’s been married the longest time, and a couple who falls somewhere in between these two. It’s pretty amusing and somewhat insightful to watch as the participants attempt to predict their spouses’ answers to a variety of questions about things like their first date, their favorite feature in their spouse, or how they’d rate their first kiss.

During the game, at least one person is usually surprised by their spouse’s prediction. Sometimes, the incorrect answer is due to a lack of memory; sometimes, it’s due to a lack of really knowing the other person. Sometimes, the contradiction is funny, but sometimes, you can see that one is hurt that the other didn’t know the correct answer.

To be fully known and truly loved is an innate desire within us.

I love watching couples who have been married for 50+ years play “The Newlywed Game” because they are so comfortable and familiar with each other. They know each other well. There tends to be a sweetness and sense of humor between them, too, which likely helped them reach those 50+ years together.

But guess what? You don’t have to be married 50+ years before you feel like you know your spouse really well! And no matter how long a couple has been married, there is always more to learn about each other. We all grow and change over the years, so we will only know some things about our spouses. To love our spouses well, we need to continually study them and look for ways to get to know them better all the time. Some of the ways we can do this are by observing, listening, and asking questions… [Click here to read the full article on Family Christian.]