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5 Ways to Get Past the Pain of an Argument
This post is about arguments and disagreements that married couples naturally experience. If you are experiencing on-going verbal abuse, I encourage you to speak to a counselor that can help to wisely guide you.______________________________________ You can’t take it back. Have you ever been there? You’ve said too much. You’ve spoken your mind. You’ve laid it all on the table. And now you wish you had just held your tongue, exercised patience, and been more understanding. You’re both left feeling hurt, and so alone in this world. Words are like toothpaste. Once they come out there’s no way that paste is going back in the tube. But this isn’t Crest, it’s…
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We’re Embracing Holy Matrimony on Both the Good Days and Bad
It’s easier to do the right thing when our spouse does the right thing. We can usually respond correctly in those circumstances, can’t we? It’s not rocket science, it’s it’s just human nature. You be good to me and I’ll be good to you. What about when your husband or wife isn’t being good to you . . . isn’t doing what is right? Much, much tougher. And, if we’re honest, we often cut ourselves a little slack when this happens, listening to the voice that says, “I’m justified in responding the way I did because of what he/she did.” It is justice, of a kind . . . but…
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Respect. Your Husband. See To It.
I left home at the ripe old age of 18. Seeking an education. Hoping for adventure. And looking for love. You know, looking for him – that guy I’d want to walk beside for the rest of my days. And to sleep by his side on the same starry nights. It would be another 8 long years before I found him. By then I’d been in school for 7 of those years and traveled and studied in 8 different countries. London, Paris, Yaounde, Jerusalem. A wanderer. By then, an educated, modern-day woman. But just like girls have been doing since time began, I fell in love. When he asked me to marry him,…
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What A Good Man Wants
Listening to the popular media, you come away with the idea that there are about four good men left on planet earth. It’s not true. There are millions of Good Men – men who love their wives and kids; men who are faithful to their families and the God they serve; noble men who do an honest day’s work, year-in and year-out, and never say a word about it; men who set aside their interests and dreams to meet family needs and desires; men who more often than not choose for others before they choose for themselves. Good Men. They’re everywhere. In fact, you’re probably married to one. What good…
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When Your Spiritual Gifts Clash With Your Spouse’s
It was a simple phone call that landed me in hot water. A phone call and an innocent mistake led to a tense few moments between my husband and myself. I ordered take out for a friend who was in need and made a mistake when ordering. The result was an extra $20 charge that I didn’t expect. I tried every which way to fix my mistake, but the restaurant wasn’t budging. I just had to suck it up, hope my friend really liked General Tso Chicken, and explain to my husband what had happened. Unfortunately, the conversation went exactly as I expected: Joe was annoyed and I felt guilty.…
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When homemaking is a hassle: 3 Reasons to reevaluate “mommy media”
“Mom, I’m done cleaning.” My son pulls my arm. “Is it good? Can I play Wii now?” Stumbling behind him, I fight my phone’s auto-correct to send off a coherent text. Even as I glance up and take a breath to launch my “You can do better than this” speech, my phone alerts me to a comment on my blog. “Okay, bud. It’s good enough,” and I’m off to the computer to write my response… as soon as I shift the laundry from my desk chair to my unmade bed. I try to focus on what “really matters,” but I’m interrupted by… “Honey, I can’t seem to find matching socks.”…
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4 Ways to Show Respect (and 2 Ways Not To)
Have you noticed that in many of our television shows the husband is portrayed as inept if not an outright fool? From The Flintstones, to Married with Children, to The Simpsons, to Home Improvement, to Phineas and Ferb and Jonny Test one could draw the conclusion that the least respectable and capable person in any home is the husband or father. The idea of respecting authority, let alone one’s husband, seems very Victorian. We don’t respect authority, we undermine it. We don’t listen, we speak our minds. But Paul is emphatic on this issue (1 Peter 3:2), and calls for wives specifically to “respect their husbands.” What is this respect? To…
