If you are like me, you may be on the lookout for solid, helpful resources to make your relationships better. Maybe it’s your marriage relationship or your a relationship with a parent or friend or co-worker. No matter how you feel like you are doing in the relationship department, our interactions with others can always use some improvement.
Those close to me know that I like to read…. A LOT! A friend recently texted me and asked if I had any recommendations for a book or a study she and her husband could do together to strengthen their relationship. No big problems, but a way for them to be proactive and work on their marriage relationship. I was embarrassed to tell her that although I had a stack of books on my nightstand that I wanted to read, NONE of them fit the category of marriage strengthening. (Not sure what that says about me, but let’s just move on.)
Wanting to help my friend out, but also feeling the need to put some helpful books on my “to read” list, I texted a very trusted source on all things marriage and relationship. This woman helps people daily to navigate relationships to a place that is God-honoring.
The recommended books listed below are not all “marriage books,” but they will all be useful for strengthening many relationships, including marriage. I”m hoping the synopsis, quoted from each book’s Amazon page, will help you decide if this might be your next read.
Resources for Building Relationships
How To Improve Your Marriage Without Talking About It by Patricia Love and Steven Stosny
“How to Improve Your Marriage Without Talking About It teaches couples how to get closer in ways that don’t require “trying to turn a man into a woman.” Rich in stories of couples who have turned their marriages around, and full of practical advice about the behaviors that make and break marriages, this essential guide will help couples find love beyond words.”
Rising Strong by Brene Brown
Walking into our stories of hurt can feel dangerous. But the process of regaining our footing in the midst of struggle is where our courage is tested and our values are forged. Our stories of struggle can be big ones, like the loss of a job or the end of a relationship, or smaller ones, like a conflict with a friend or colleague. Regardless of magnitude or circumstance, the rising strong process is the same: We reckon with our emotions and get curious about what we’re feeling; we rumble with our stories until we get to a place of truth; and we live this process, every day, until it becomes a practice and creates nothing short of a revolution in our lives. Rising strong after a fall is how we cultivate wholeheartedness. It’s the process, Brown writes, that teaches us the most about who we are.
The Road Back To You by Ian Morgan Cron and Suzanne Stabile
Ignorance is bliss―except in self-awareness. What you don’t know about yourself can hurt you and your relationships―and even keep you in the shallows with God. Do you want help figuring out who you are and why you’re stuck in the same ruts? The Enneagram is an ancient personality typing system with an uncanny accuracy in describing how human beings are wired, both positively and negatively. In The Road Back to You Ian Morgan Cron and Suzanne Stabile forge a unique approach―a practical, comprehensive way of accessing Enneagram wisdom and exploring its connections with Christian spirituality for a deeper knowledge of ourselves, compassion for others, and love for God. Witty and filled with stories, this book allows you to peek inside each of the nine Enneagram types, keeping you turning the pages long after you have read the chapter about your own number. Not only will you learn more about yourself, but you will also start to see the world through other people’s eyes, understanding how and why people think, feel, and act the way they do. Beginning with changes you can start making today, the wisdom of the Enneagram can help take you further along into who you really are―leading you into places of spiritual discovery you would never have found on your own, and paving the way to the wiser, more compassionate person you want to become.
So tell me what you think. Have you read any of these titles?
Would you recommend other helpful resources for relationship strengthening?
Be sure to post your favorites in the comments so that others (like me) can benefit from your wisdom!
Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, remembering that as members of the same body you are called to live in harmony, and never forget to be thankful for what God has done for you.
Colossians 3:15