Relationship Goals summary

Imagine you’re an archer. You’ve got your bow and arrow, and a single clear goal: hit the center of your target.

But what if, when you step up to aim, you realize that there’s no bull’s-eye in front of you? Well, technically, you can shoot wherever you want, but your arrow won’t hit anything meaningful.

Did you know that relationships existed before there were humans?

Before there was a single person on earth, a relationship already existed among God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. In the Bible, this relationship is called the Holy Trinity. It represents the idea that God is three entities in one.

Growing up in church, the author learned many things about how to live according to God’s Word. One thing no one ever explained to him, though, were romantic relationships. When he reflects on his childhood, the only lesson he can remember being taught is, “Don’t have sex until you’re married. Period.”

Unfortunately, relationships are one of those real-life issues that the church hasn’t been great about addressing. As a result, many people instead turn to movies, TV shows, or celebrities for insight into the topic. This leads them to believe that there’s a simple formula for relationships and the way they progress: you fall in love, you get married, and then you have a baby. 

When the author was fifteen, he met the love of his life, Natalie. It was at a friend’s birthday party – when Natalie walked into the room, the sight of her long black hair and black dress made the author think, “I’ve never seen anything so beautiful.”

Nine years later, the pair were happily married. Their relationship hasn’t always been smooth sailing – they’ve had a few bumpy patches here and there. But, ultimately, every problem they’ve encountered has taught them just how right they were to focus on each other from the very start.

Meet Taylor and Brandon, a couple who met at Transformation Church. When they first got together, they decided that they didn’t want to date the same way they used to.

Why? Well, Taylor and Brandon had both been burned by past relationships – mostly because they’d gotten involved with the wrong people. What they needed was a new approach, one that would help them find long-term partners without risking their hearts in the process.

T and Valeria seemed like the perfect couple. They both had dedicated relationships with God and were living their lives with purpose. 

But eventually, something changed. Their relationship turned into a wrestling match characterized by harsh words, controlling behaviors, and emotional turmoil. It was only a matter of time before the relationship ended.

Did you ever play house when you were a kid? Maybe you had Barbie and Ken dolls, which you pretended were happily married, with a big house and a pink convertible parked out front. Maybe they even had some little Barbies and Kens running around.

Barbie and Ken have a “perfect” marriage, the kind that many of us grow up wanting for ourselves. But one thing that never makes it into playtime is just how much effort it takes to sustain a marriage.