Choose the Right Time
Timing can change the way a conversation is received. There are some things that need to be said, but not every moment is the right moment to say them. A serious conversation may be…
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Truth Needs Tenderness
Every marriage needs truth. A marriage cannot grow when everything is hidden, avoided, minimized, or pushed aside. There are things that need to be said. Feelings that need to be expressed. Patterns that need…
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Tone Can Change the Conversation
Tone matters. Sometimes we say the right words, but the tone carries something very different. The words may say, “I am fine,” but the tone may say, “I am upset.” The words may say,…
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Say It With Grace
Words are powerful in marriage. They can comfort. They can correct. They can strengthen. They can also bruise places in the heart that no one else can see. Sometimes, it is not only what…
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When Silence Says Something
Silence in marriage can mean many things. Sometimes silence means wisdom. A spouse knows that speaking in that moment would only make things worse, so they choose to wait. Sometimes silence means tiredness. There…
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Hear the Heart Beneath the Words
Not everything your spouse says is only about the words they use. Sometimes words carry tiredness. Sometimes they carry fear. Sometimes they carry disappointment. Sometimes they carry loneliness. Sometimes they carry a longing that…
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The Gift of Your Full Attention
In marriage, attention is not a small thing. It may look small. Looking up when your spouse is speaking. Putting down the phone. Turning off the television. Pausing what you are doing. Making eye…
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Listen Before You Answer
One of the greatest gifts we can give in marriage is the gift of being heard. Not just listened to while the other person is waiting for their turn to speak. Not listened to…
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Praying for the Words We Speak
They were not trying to hurt each other. But the words came out hard. One sentence became another. One correction sounded like criticism. One complaint became an attack. And by the end of the…
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Listening Beneath the Words
Listening is one of the most powerful, and most overlooked, skills in marriage. A husband once said, “Every time we talk, it turns into an argument.”After observing their conversations, the issue became clear. Neither…
