Why Emotional Intimacy Is Difficult

Connect on a deeper level

A Five Part Series

Part 3

The third greatest fear that interferes with our ability to communicate and thus develop emotional intimacy is Fear of Starting a Fight. Because a couple won't agree on every subject every time they discuss something, marriage inevitably spawns conflict. Many couples fear conflict, and this becomes a barrier to intimacy.

Husband and wives enter marriage with lots to learn, with rough edges that need to be polished; and marriage is one of the instruments that God uses to make those rough edges smooth. When that process gets painful and one partner withdraws into a shell, both partners become more isolated. And isolation is part of that fear of rejection.

But if both partners can face their conflicts openly by talking them out together, they can end up with a stronger connection---and they can overcome the isolation.