Today we are talking with my friend, Jenny Price, and an incredible, practical tool for couples to strengthen their marriage called Marriage on Mission. Jenny is a Pastor’s wife, mother of five, and coach who is passionate about building healthy marriages. The Marriage on Mission tool is one that will help you and your spouse dream, plan and sharpen your direction in a healthy way.

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SHOW HIGHLIGHTS

No matter what stage your marriage is in, if you can get your marriage on mission, you can push toward health.

• Marriage is the one thing that is definitively shaping our nation. It is not government or healthcare; it is growing healthy marriages.
• You do not have to simply endure a hard marriage. Putting your marriage on mission will help it grow healthy and thrive.
• Everything stems from relationships. The fruit of your relationship with your spouse will have a long-lasting impact after you are gone.

The most important concept to remember concerning your marriage is that the ultimate mission is not to stay married or have a good marriage. If your marriage is the most important thing to you, it has become an idol. If marriage is the highest priority, you are depending on your spouse to satisfy things that only God can satisfy. There is no person to complete you, and if you are looking to your spouse to do that, you are setting them up for something they are incapable of doing. Your marriage should be a blessing and an absolute source of joy, but it is not your core identity and it is not the main source of joy in your life.

Marriage should be combined with:

• Ministry
• Careers
• Eternity

So, where should one start to get their marriage on mission? The following steps are part of the Marriage on Mission tool. I encourage you to print the full resource out as it contains additional details that will help you and your spouse get the most out of the exercise!

1. Ask yourself where you are right now.
   • You can’t work on where you want to go without knowing where you are starting from.
2. Talk to your spouse about where they are.
   • Sometimes, one spouse might feel they are in one place and the other has a totally different take on it. We all carry presumptions!
   • It should not scare us if one feels the relationship is in a better place than the other. Evaluating where you both are should not be an exercise in ascribing worth to the other.
3. Do vision-casting exercises. This exercise takes about an hour and a half and is great for a date night:

• • Spend 5 minutes praying and getting into context.
  • Spend 20 minutes individually writing your 1 year vision. This resource provides a number of questions you can use for this step.
  • Read what each other has written.
    • Pay attention to the similarities and differences you discover.

1. Set S.M.A.R.T goals. These should stretch us and push us.

• • Specific
  • Measurable
  • Attainable
  • Risky
  • Timely

1. Focus on eternity.
   • Long for God. He is the goal!
   • Think: My marriage matters because of the legacy that God is building in me.
   • Is my marriage pointing others to Christ?
2. Set a mission statement rooted in scripture.
   • Find a scripture passage that you want your family to be about and live by it.

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Everything stems from relationships.
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Your marriage should be a blessing and an absolute source of joy, but it is not your core identity and it is not the main source of joy in your life.
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My marriage matters because of the legacy that God is building in me.
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RESOURCES MENTIONED

Marriage on Mission Tool

Jenny’s Website

Jenny’s Facebook

Jenny’s Instagram

Heaven by Randy Alcorn

The Weight of Glory by C. S. Lewis

Jay’s Newsletter

Jay’s Email

Let’s Parent on Purpose Facebook Page

Episode 50: Depression and Anxiety in Parenting and Marriage

Episode 120: How Your Marriage Affects Your Parenting