A couple of months ago, some good friends of ours bravely told us about a marriage group they were hoping to start. They shared their heart with us — how much their perception + understanding of marriage had changed over the past eight years since they first got married, + how their love + belief in marriage was pushing them to do something more than just keep it to themselves. They wanted to create a community where real couples could come together + talk about real life. 

They then asked us if we would want to embark on this journey with them + we couldn’t say no. We knew, without a doubt, that we could learn from them (+ hopefully them from us … despite a seven year difference when it comes to anniversary numbers ; ) hehe)! The group has now become a small + intimate gathering of three couples every Sunday night. We try our best to read a chapter in a marriage book we’re going through each week as a way to spur conversation (however, to be honest, none of us ever really finish it all)! It doesn’t matter, though, because what we really talk about is how we’re doing … how our weeks were, things we struggled with as a couple that week, as well as things we celebrated. It’s SO amazing to hear what each unique couple has to offer in terms of problem-solving, how they view marriage, different perspectives on different issues, etc. We always walk away feeling encouraged. Equally as important is sharing in one another’s struggles + knowing we have two other couples who we can trust with the things we’re going through. 

We love this little group + I wanted to share about it today because I want to challenge anyone who is reading our blog who is married to simply think about what a community like this could look like in your life!! If could be just ONE other couple, or two, or three, who you meet with on a somewhat regular basis to talk about your lives + marriages. I KNOW it seems like a crazy, scary idea at first, but you just have to take that first step of faith, like our friends did. Those you ask to join might say yes + they might say no, but those who are willing to join the journey with you will be SO glad they did! And to start things off on an un-intimidating note like we did, begin by reading a book together + talk about it each week. Then let the conversation naturally flow from there : ) <<< Just an idea! : )

A small marriage group is just one way, but a GREAT way, to take active steps towards building a stronger, better, healthier marriage. We were MADE to be in community, not to be alone (more on that here). And we so strongly believe that our marriages were made to be in community with other marriages because we can learn from each other, learn we’re not alone in our struggles, + encourage one another to keep pursuing goodness + romance + beauty in our own individual marriages. If anything, like I said, just THINK about doing something like this, will you?! Whether you’ve been married for one year or 40 years : )

Finally, just for fun, some photos from a recent mini-golf triple-date our marriage group took!! XO!

It was an indoor course + they had a hole that was in this crazy black light room (that was hard to take a picture in, but we had to)!!!

I promise we did actually golf …

Love these people!!! Caleb took the pic, obviously : )