Proverbs offers such incredible marriage counsel. I know the truths I have learned from this book are ones that I will need to continue to meditate on for years to come. Chapter 17 is no exception and here's what I took away from this chapter:
It would be more pleasant for my husband to eat only a crust of bread in peace with me than it would be for us to have a great feast when their is strife between us. (verse 1)
Have you ever contemplated the tremendous affect our words have on our husband? I know I have, and I cringe to think of the many times I have not chosen wisdom and instead, let it be known loud and clear how I felt about the matter.
Following the example of the first half of verse one, imagine what a blessing it would be to our husband to know that even if we barely have any food in the house, we are not going to complain about it and make do with what we have.
If my husband is doing the best he can to provide for us, how is me complaining about our lack of food going to help the situation? It won't, but it sure will weigh my husband down and discourage him.
I can preserve and protect the love my husband and I have for each other when I choose to disregard his faults. Telling his faults to others will separate us. (verse 9)
There are times when our husband needs us to lovingly confront him and there are other times when it's just a matter of preference and we need to keep our mouths closed and let it go.
One of my blog readers reminded me that we should purpose to not run to our mom or friends when upset by something that's happened in our marriage. She said, "Most of the time it's a miscommunication that quickly gets resolved." Her fear was, that after she vented, she would forget to go back and tell the person that the misunderstanding had been cleared up. She didn't want her mom or friends to have a bad image of her husband lingering in their minds long after they had figured things out. This is great advice!
Starting a fight with my husband is like opening a floodgate. I'd be better off dropping the matter before a dispute breaks out. (verse14)
I wonder how much grief we would spare ourselves in our marriages if we learned to go to God in prayer about our concerns rather than confronting our husbands head on. If it's something that they need us to address, God will make it clear to us when and how we should bring it up. Otherwise, we're better off dropping the matter.
I have seen over and over again through this study how important God's Word is in regards to my marriage relationship. This study has blessed me so much and I'm looking forward to drawing more truths from God's Word as we wrap this series up over the next two weeks.
Join me tomorrow as we study Proverbs chapter 18. Just getting started on the series? Catch up with all the posts on my landing page between now and October 31.
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2 comments:
I need to print this out and put it on my fridge lol. Its so easy for me to concentrate only on how I feel about a situation, and not how I am making my husband feel.
Melissa, You're not alone. :)
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