Day Eight: There is a time for everything … a time to be silent and a time to speak. Ecclesiastes 3:1, 7
How easy it is to speak before thinking, especially if that pattern has already been established in your marriage.
Do you or your wife have the habit of returning one hurtful jab for another or lashing out at the smallest provocation?
It is hard to be silent, especially when you feel hurt or angry or disrespected, but often, if you take a few minutes to gather your thoughts and think about what you might say in return, you will realize that the problem will only escalate if you say what immediately comes to mind.
Your challenge today is to be silent when you could return insult for insult or when you could say, “I told you so.” Remember that silence is a show of humility. Allow your wife to vent if she needs to, and offer an ear to listen without rebuttal.
* Written and distributed by Claudia J. Pate, www.theanniversaryshop.wordpress.com