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Browse through and read hundreds of articles on the topic of marriage
Wives are driven to connect, to be understood, and to receive empathy, which is a wonderful characteristic of God’s beautiful pink design of them.
It’s amazing how often our search for answers to conflicts and situations we are dealing with in the twenty-first century ends up taking us back to the beginning of Genesis.
When a wife dares to share her hurt and negative feelings with her husband, she does so hoping he will humbly apologize and make efforts to do things more lovingly next time. Her goal in addressing her concerns is to get rid of her hurt, be energized, feel positive, and respond to him in caring ways.
A wife who has been married for twenty years to a loving, goodwilled husband and father (her words!) found herself suddenly struggling to understand how their relationship had gone south.
In a national study done years ago, four hundred men were asked to choose between one of two negative experiences: If you were forced to choose one of the following, which would you prefer to endure?
Emerson writes, “Husbands tell us they have learned what can happen when they use loving words to communicate with wives, and wives tell us they have been astounded at the difference it makes when they use respectful words to communicate with their husbands.”
I often challenge couples by saying, “The mature one goes first.” It is much easier to sit back and say, “Well Emerson, I would be more loving if my wife was more respectful!” Or, “Why should I show my husband respect when he is treating me in an unloving way?” Of course it is easier to be obedient to God in our marriage when our husband or wife is also being obedient. Unfortunately, that is not always the case.
The Bible says, “The tongue of the wise brings healing” Proverbs 12:18. Loving and respectful words not only have the power to create healthy communication but also to bring healing to the marriage. A wife says, “I start with an apology for my lack of respect.” Men, share why this apology for being disrespectful can heal the heart of a husband.
In a survey conducted by Focus on the Family for the Love and Respect Ministries, respondents were asked, “What was (and possibly still is) the biggest problem affecting your marriage?” For men and women the biggest problem by far was lack of good communication. Why do you think communication problems in marriage surface as such a gigantic problem?
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